Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor

Types of Degrees Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many cosmetology, barber/styling, & nail instructor graduations there were in 2021-2022 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	892
Undergraduate Certificate	319
Associate Degree	19

What Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, cosmetology, barber/styling, and nail instructor 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 Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor Majors

Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• 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.

Skills for Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to cosmetology, barber/styling, and nail instructor:

• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor Majors

Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• 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.
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with cosmetology, barber/styling, and nail instructor:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Barbers	13.5%	$27,960
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists	13.0%	$24,730

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor?

The major attracts more women than men. About 89% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of cosmetology, barber/styling, and nail instructor majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	5
White	8
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	3

How Much Do Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $30,190 to $33,220 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes 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 Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor

Some careers associated with cosmetology, barber/styling, and nail instructor require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to cosmetology, barber/styling, and nail instructor have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	10.6%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	23.1%
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)	54.7%
Some College Courses	6.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.7%
Bachelor’s Degree	0.9%
Master’s Degree	0.6%

Online Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor 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)	195	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	0
Associate’s Degree	6	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 Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor Worth It?

The median salary for a cosmetology, barber/styling, and nail instructor grad is $30,190 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

Trades Related to Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to cosmetology, barber/styling, and nail instructor.

Major	Number of Grads
General Cosmetology/Cosmetologist	50,210
Aesthetician/Esthetician & Skin Care Specialist	40,040
Nail Technician/Specialist & Manicurist	13,960
Barbering/Barber	9,893
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
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.