Can You Become a Licensed Cosmetologist Online?

online cosmetology course

More and more people are realizing that online schooling can be an extremely beneficial way of gaining the same knowledge that you would on campus, but often with much more flexibility. With online schooling, you don’t have to worry about campus issues like room and board, which can make it much less expensive and less intrusive in your life. Could cosmetology offer a similar option? Here’s what you need to know about online schooling for cosmetology.

Can You Take a Cosmetology Course Entirely Online?

In general, cosmetology schools don’t offer courses completely online. What you may find as an online cosmetology course is actually a hybrid cosmetology course. With a hybrid cosmetology course, you’ll learn certain elements of the cosmetology practice, which typically includes theory about how to do cosmetology, online. At a later date, you’ll come in to do as much hands-on training as the state requires.

Requirements for a Cosmetology Course

What do you need if you’re going to become a cosmetologist? There are some requirements you may need to meet. These include:

  • At least 16 or 18 years of age, depending on the cosmetology school’s specific requirements
  • A high school diploma or GED
  • Competency in reading and mathematics

These requirements tend to be pretty light, as cosmetology courses don’t require a lot of knowledge that you need to start with. If you meet all the baseline requirements, you can apply to the cosmetology school to see whether the school will be able to accept you. Most cosmetology schools still offer paper applications, although it’s common for them to offer online applications as well.

Is It Better to Take an Online or In-Person Course?

Should you opt for an online hybrid course or should you go to a typical in-person cosmetology school? Here are a few of the benefits of each, so you might be able to make up your mind more easily.

  • Benefits of Online 

For the most part, people choose online cosmetology school because they’re worried about scheduling issues. Online cosmetology school does tend to be much more flexible than in-person cosmetology school. During the time you’re not doing your hands-on training, you’ll be able to learn from anywhere, making it an appealing option for people with a packed schedule.

Of course, the hands-on training is a requirement, which means you’re not going to have that flexibility for the entire time you’re in school. If you are thinking about an online cosmetology school, make sure you ask questions about the flexibility options they have for their hands-on training elements.

  • Benefits of In-Person

When you’re doing in-person cosmetology training, you’re going to start learning those hands-on techniques from the very beginning. In-person cosmetology training tends to focus much more wholly on incorporating hands-on training from the start, which means it’s more common for you to learn applicable skills early on in the process.

Though you might think of in-person cosmetology training as being inherently more limiting than online cosmetology training, there are many cosmetology schools that focus intently on offering all sorts of flexible schedules. You can always request more information from a specific school to learn more about your cosmetology options at an in-person school.

Conclusion

As you can see, online cosmetology schooling is an option that may work well for certain people, but it’s definitely not something you can do to complete your cosmetology training as a whole. You’re going to need hands-on training at some point. If you’re looking for a cosmetology training program that allows you more flexibility, consider going to a cosmetology school that provides that flexibility, like Evergreen Beauty College. With the Evergreen Beauty College cosmetology program, you’ll be able to schedule your classes around your life while still gaining the knowledge you need to achieve your dream.

Author
Frank Trieu
Vice President of Business Development & Industry Relations

Frank Trieu is a cosmetology industry leader, and despite his accomplishments and accolades, he still prioritizes students on the Evergreen campus. Through building relationships within the community and local salons, retail stores, and spas, he helps facilitate job placements for aspiring beauty professionals using his expansive network.

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