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Major · Personal Services

A licensure-driven trade credential for the beauty industry

Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General (CIP 12.0401) prepares students for the state cosmetology licensing exam and entry into salons, spas, and barbershops. About 1,008 students complete it across 135 institutions, almost entirely as associate’s programs.

Schools offering
135
Annual completions
1,008
Typical degree level
Associate's
Median earnings (5yr)
$25k

About this major

Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General (CIP 12.0401) is a state-regulated trade program that prepares students to cut, color, and style hair, perform manicures and pedicures, deliver facial and esthetic treatments, and meet the supervised-hour and exam requirements for state cosmetology licensure. The CIP definition organizes coursework around hair cutting and styling, chemical applications, manicuring, pedicuring, facial treatments and esthetics, shop management, sanitation and safety, customer service, and applicable labor laws and regulations. Most programs run as one- to two-year associate’s degrees at community and technical colleges, with heavy clinical time on a student-staffed salon floor.

The major fits students who want a credential that maps directly to a labor-market job, prefer working with their hands and with people, and are comfortable on their feet for full shifts. It rewards visual judgment, steady fine-motor skill, and customer-facing patience. The career has a defined ladder from licensed stylist to senior stylist to chair-renting independent operator to salon owner — each step driven more by clientele and reputation than by additional formal credentials.

One grounded observation about scale and earnings: 1,008 students complete this CIP across 135 institutions, with the only entry credential the BLS lists for hairstylists ($35,250), manicurists ($34,660), and skincare specialists ($41,560) being a postsecondary nondegree award. The packet shows associate’s graduates at $24,636 in tracked five-year earnings — well below the BLS hairstylist median, reflecting tipped, part-time, and self-employed income that isn’t fully captured in wage data. Top producers are public community colleges (Spokane CC, Citrus, Clover Park, Palo Alto, Houston CC), keeping in-state tuition meaningfully below for-profit beauty academy pricing.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists $35k +5.6% Postsecondary nondegree award
Manicurists and pedicurists $35k +7.0% Postsecondary nondegree award
Skincare specialists $42k +6.7% Postsecondary nondegree award
Shampooers $31k +5.5% No formal educational credential
Makeup artists, theatrical and performance $50k +8.1% Postsecondary nondegree award
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$25k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you want a credential that maps cleanly to a state license and a paying job, you’re comfortable on your feet for full shifts and confident interacting with strangers all day, you have steady hands and visual judgment for cutting and color work, you’re interested in eventually building your own clientele and chair-renting or owning a salon, and you’d rather start earning quickly than spend four years on a bachelor’s. The packet’s associate’s-only degree pattern across 135 institutions confirms the practical, license-focused nature of the credential.

Think twice if the tracked five-year earnings of $24,636 don’t match your financial expectations and you can’t cover program cost without significant debt — many BLS-tracked occupations in this field list a postsecondary nondegree award as typical entry, which means a shorter certificate at a state-approved school may open the same door. Also reconsider if you’re looking for a desk-based or remote-friendly career, if standing all day and the physical demands of salon work concern you, or if your goal is salon management or beauty-product entrepreneurship rather than service work — Salon/Beauty Salon Management (CIP 12.0412) and business coursework will add more value than additional cosmetology hours.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Spokane Community College Spokane, WA 43 0 43
Citrus College Glendora, CA 42 0 42
Clover Park Technical College Lakewood, WA 37 0 37
Palo Alto College San Antonio, TX 37 0 37
Houston Community College Houston, TX 35 0 35
Golden West College Huntington Beach, CA 33 0 33
Cerritos College Norwalk, CA 32 0 32
Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM 31 0 31
Randolph Community College Asheboro, NC 23 0 23
Fullerton College Fullerton, CA 20 0 20
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager

237 completions/yr

Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist

62 completions/yr

Make-Up Artist/Specialist

59 completions/yr

Barbering/Barber

20 completions/yr

Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist

5 completions/yr

Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor

5 completions/yr

Master Aesthetician/Esthetician

3 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Do I need an associate’s degree to be a cosmetologist?
No. The actual gate is the state cosmetology license, earned by completing required clock hours at a state-approved school and passing the licensure exam. The BLS lists a postsecondary nondegree award as typical entry for hairstylists ($35,250), manicurists ($34,660), and skincare specialists ($41,560). Many working cosmetologists train at standalone beauty schools or shorter certificate programs rather than completing a full associate’s degree.
What does the curriculum actually cover?
Coursework follows the CIP definition: hair cutting and styling, chemical applications, manicuring and pedicuring, facial treatments and esthetics, sanitation and safety, customer service, salon management, and the labor laws and regulations governing licensed practice. Most programs include a heavy clinical component on a student-staffed salon floor and require enough supervised hours to qualify for the state licensure exam.
What jobs do graduates land — and at what pay?
Common destinations include salon stylist, barber-cosmetologist, manicurist, skincare and facial specialist, makeup artist (especially for theatrical and performance work at $50,280), and salon owner. Industry growth is steady at 5-7% across the named occupations. The packet shows associate’s graduates at roughly $24,636 in tracked five-year earnings, well below the BLS hairstylist median of $35,250 — likely reflecting a mix of part-time, tip-based, and self-employed income that isn’t fully captured in W-2 wage data.
How does this compare to a standalone beauty-school certificate?
Both routes lead to the same state license. The associate’s adds general education and small-business coursework that helps if you plan to open or manage a salon. A standalone certificate is faster and cheaper but offers fewer transferable credits if you later pivot. Compare total clock hours, total cost, and the state board pass rate before enrolling — the credential employers and clients ultimately recognize is the license, not the degree.
Where do most graduates of this CIP train?
Top producers are public community and technical colleges: Spokane Community College (43), Citrus College (42), Clover Park Technical (37), Palo Alto College (37), Houston Community College (35), and several California community colleges (Golden West, Cerritos, Fullerton). Public CC tuition is meaningfully lower than for-profit beauty academy pricing, though the for-profit chains still produce the bulk of nationwide cosmetology completions outside this CIP.
Is salon ownership realistic without a business degree?
Yes — most independent salons are owned by licensed cosmetologists who built clientele first. Related programs sit close by in the catalog: Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager (CIP 12.0412, 237 completions) is the dedicated business pathway, and Make-Up Artist/Specialist (12.0406) and Aesthetician (12.0409) cover narrower specialties. If ownership is the eventual goal, prioritize building paid book hours and customer base before adding more credentials.