CosmetologyAS DegreeCertificate of Achievement
- Community of interest
- Business, Cosmetology, Arts & Design
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 01370.00AS
- Department
- Cosmetology
- CIP code
- 12.0401: Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General.
- TOP code
- 3007.00 - Cosmetology and Barbering*
Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP
Program Snapshot
- Community of interest
- BCAD Business, Cosmetology, Arts & Design
- Award
- AS Degree
- Program code
- 01370.00AS
- Department
- Cosmetology
- CIP code
- 12.0401: Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General.
- TOP code
- 3007.00 - Cosmetology and Barbering*
Next Steps
AS Degree — expand to learn about this award
The Associate of Science is typically awarded for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum that gives you a broad base of knowledge, and an academic program where you specialize.
About General Education. GE is an integrated program of learning designed to foster intellectual curiosity, cultural understanding, critical thinking, creative reasoning, oral and written communication, and the capacity for ethical reasoning. By graduation, you'll have developed the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, apply quantitative reasoning, understand how the major academic disciplines ask their questions, comprehend diverse cultures and historical periods, and assess ethical problems — alongside the depth you build in your major.
Semester-by-Semester Map
Term 1
Class Schedules
course details
This course will teach standard health, safety, and sanitation practices in Cosmetology, Barbering, Manicuring, and Esthetics. Students will understand agency standards and state board requirements for beauty professionals servicing the general public.
course details
This course will teach procedural application of standard health, safety, and sanitation practices in Cosmetology, Barbering, Manicuring, Hairstyling and Esthetics. Emphasis will be placed on the practice of Disinfection and Health standards required by the California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology for practice and licensing in the beauty industry. Students will practice and demonstrate State Board disinfection and sanitation for beauty professionals while servicing the public. This course is designed toward preparation for the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology exam.
Prerequisite: COS 10 (or concurrent enrollment)
course details
In this course, students will develop and demonstrate fundamental hairstyling and haircutting skills. Emphasis is placed on State Board standards in client draping, shampooing and conditioning, fundamentals of hair design, and basic haircutting and basic hairstyling techniques. Students will practice and demonstrate State Board disinfection and sanitation techniques for beauty professionals while servicing the public. This course is designed toward preparation for the California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology exam and is a fundamental course in the Cosmetology, Barbering or Hairstyling program sequences.
course details
This course will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the nature of skin care and show proficiency in skin-related services. Topics include skin disorders and diseases, skin structure, growth and nutrition, advanced skin care, facials and lashes, to include lash lifting, coloring and lash extensions. Students will work towards California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology minimum requirements and hours in subjects learned. This course is part of the Cosmetology and Barbering sequences, and foundational in the Esthetics course sequence.
Term 2
Class Schedules
course details
In this course students will develop and demonstrate proficiency in basic nail procedures. Topics are to include analyzation, treatment, creation, maintenance and removal of nail enhancements, including gel polish, wraps, repairs, acrylic and UV light cured gel enhancements. Students will work towards California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology minimum practical hours and operations in subjects learned. This is a foundational course in the Cosmetology and Manicuring sequences.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
course details
In this course, students learn and develop an understanding and knowledge of the basic theoretical concepts that govern and guide salon-industry related chemistry, chemical texture services, and the fundamentals of hair coloring. Topics such as Chemistry, Safety, Haircolor and Chemical Texture applications will be covered. Students will work towards the California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology minimum hours and practical operations in subjects learned. Theoretical instruction will be applied towards the curriculum minimum requirements to qualify for a Board examination.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
course details
In this course students will develop and demonstrate understanding and practice of the basics of chemistry, chemical texture services, and the fundamentals of haircoloring. Students will work towards California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology minimum practical operations in the subjects learned. This course is an integral class in the Barbering and Cosmetology program sequences.
Prerequisite: COS 20 (or concurrent enrollment)
course details
In this course, students will expand and cultivate skills in haircutting and hairdressing. Topics will include client consultation, applying required health, safety and disinfection protocols, advanced haircutting techniques and formal hairstyling training. Students will work towards California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology minimum hours in subjects learned. This course is an advanced course in the Cosmetology and Hairstyling program sequences.
Prerequisite: COS 19
Term 3
Class Schedules
General Education: Area 1A
about Area 1A
English Composition
Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.
General Education: Area 1B
about Area 1B
Oral Communication and Critical Thinking
Baccalaureate-level oral communication and/or critical thinking — speaking with structure to a live audience, analyzing arguments, identifying assumptions.
General Education: Area 3
about Area 3
Arts and Humanities
How people and cultures, across time, respond to themselves and the world through artistic and cultural creative production. Visual and performing arts, art history, foreign languages, literature, philosophy, religion.
General Education: Area 4
about Area 4
Social and Behavioral Sciences
The systematic study of people as members of society — cultural anthropology, cultural geography, economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology — and the methods these disciplines use to ask their questions.
General Education: Area 6
about Area 6
Ethnic Studies
The histories, experiences, and contributions of the four autonomous disciplines: Black / African American / Africana studies, Native American studies, Chicano/a/x and Latino/a/x studies, and Asian American studies.
Graduation Requirement Choice (See GE Guide)
Term 4
Class Schedules
General Education: Area 2
about Area 2
Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning
College-level mathematics or quantitative reasoning — the toolkit behind science, business, and informed citizenship.
General Education: Area 5
about Area 5
Physical and Biological Sciences
The physical universe, its life forms, and its natural phenomena — astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, oceanography, physics — taught alongside the scientific method that makes them work.
Elective (any course numbered 1-199 or C1000-C2999)
Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options.
Career Connections
2-Year Degree Paths
Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.
Example roles: 5
- Skincare Specialists
- Shampooers
- Manicurists and Pedicurists
4-Year Degree Paths
Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the 4-year pathway for this program.
Graduate School Paths
Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.
No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the graduate-school pathway for this program.
Local Job Market
Skincare SpecialistsSOC 39-50941 nearby opening
Top employers in sample
- CosmoProf 1
Where the postings are
- Chico, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
ShampooersSOC 39-50933 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- ARR Healthcare 2
- Ulta Beauty 1
Where the postings are
- Oregon, Butte County 2
- Chico, Butte County 1
Sample current postings
Manicurists and PedicuristsSOC 39-50922 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Life Time 1
- Martis Camp 1
Where the postings are
- Folsom, Sacramento County 1
- Truckee, Nevada County 1
Sample current postings
Makeup Artists, Theatrical and PerformanceSOC 39-50913 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- All Dolled Up 3
Where the postings are
- Auburn Lake Trails, El Dorado County 1
- West Truckee, Nevada County 1
- Yountville, Napa County 1
Sample current postings
Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and CosmetologistsSOC 39-50128 nearby openings
Top employers in sample
- Great Clips 8
Where the postings are
- Marysville, Yuba County 3
- Spring Hill, Nevada County 2
- Oregon, Butte County 1
- Quincy, Plumas County 1
- Yuba City, Sutter County 1
Sample current postings
Posting counts come from Adzuna's index of US job boards, covering the last up to 90 days within up to 100 miles of ZIP 95965. Coverage and salary visibility vary by employer. Empty searches expand the radius and posting window before the section gives up.
Source Notes
Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.
Live wage data was not available from the BLS helper for the mapped occupations, so some pay fields may be blank.
Last generated 2026-07-05T16:54+00:00