Barbering

Types of Degrees Barbering Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many barbering/barber graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Undergraduate Certificate	8,906
Basic Certificate	981
Associate Degree	6

What Barbering Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, barbering majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Barbering Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in barbering should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Barbering Majors

When studying barbering, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Barbering Majors

As a barbering major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

What Can You Do With a Barbering Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with barbering:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Barbers	13.5%	$27,960

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Barbering?

This major is dominated by women with about 67% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of barbering majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	4
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	1
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	1

How Much Do Barbering Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to barbering is $33,220. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Barbering

Some degrees associated with barbering may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to barbering have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	21.6%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	25.4%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	29.7%
Some College Courses	12.1%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	11.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	1.7%
Master’s Degree	1.3%

Online Barbering Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	486	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	20	0
Associate’s Degree	7	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Barbering Worth It?

The median salary for a barbering grad is $33,220 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

Trades Related to Barbering

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to barbering.

Major	Number of Grads
General Cosmetology/Cosmetologist	50,210
Aesthetician/Esthetician & Skin Care Specialist	40,040
Nail Technician/Specialist & Manicurist	13,960
Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist	2,907
Other Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Arts	2,184
Master Aesthetician/Esthetician	1,729
Hair Styling/Stylist & Hair Design	1,238
Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, & Nail Instructor	1,230
Make-Up Artist/Specialist	440
Electrolysis/Electrology & Electrolysis Technician	354
Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager	336
Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup & Tattooing	90

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Tiffany Bumgardner under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.