Cosmetology Pathway
Careers in Cosmetology
Step into a creative, in-demand industry with a pathway that offers something for every passion in beauty and personal care. Whether you want to become a licensed cosmetologist, specialize in aesthetics and skincare, master the precision of barbering, focus on manicuring, or build a niche as an eyelash specialist, this pathway has a program for you — with options to advance even further through cosmetology and barbering instructor training. With nearly 50 programs offered across more than 20 campuses statewide — including Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga State Community College, Murfreesboro, Morristown, Elizabethton, Jacksboro, Dickson, Livingston, McMinnville, Athens, Pulaski, Hohenwald, Harriman, Crump, Crossville, Hartsville, Oneida-Huntsville, Henry/Carroll, and Northwest Tennessee — you can train close to home and start a career where your skill, creativity, and personality set you apart. Build clientele, work in a salon or barbershop, open your own business, or eventually teach the next generation — the possibilities are as varied as the people you'll serve.
Explore the Careers Waiting for You
Help people look and feel their best, every day. As a skincare specialist, you'll provide personalized treatments — from facials and body care to laser hair removal — building a loyal client base in a growing industry with flexible career paths, from spas and clinics to running your own business.
Build a career where your skills keep people coming back. As a barber, you'll master the craft of cutting, styling, and grooming while building lasting client relationships — with strong earning potential, flexible scheduling, and the option to one day own your own chair or shop.
Turn attention to detail into a creative, in-demand career. As a manicurist or pedicurist, you'll combine artistry and personal care to keep clients looking polished — with flexible hours, a growing client base, and opportunities to work in salons, spas, or build your own business.
Create looks that make people feel confident walking out the door. As a hairdresser, hairstylist, or cosmetologist, you'll offer a full range of beauty services — from cuts and color to skincare and makeup — in a social, creative career with steady demand and real paths to specialization or business ownership.
A New Way to Grow
Skills move faster than ever, and your credentials should too. Micro-credentials, also called non-degree, non-credit, or non-traditional credentials, have become one of the most valuable tools in today's rapidly changing workplace. These focused, standalone credentials prove what you can do right now, letting you build expertise, signal new skills to employers, and advance your career without stepping away from it.
What sets The University of Tennessee's Bachelor's Degree in Integrated or Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) approach apart is the pathway. Micro-credentials can be mapped directly to community college courses and, through the BIS pathways, all the way to a bachelor's degree. Start with a single credential, stack it into a certificate, roll that into an associate degree, and continue on to a four-year degree if and when you choose. Your education scales at the same pace as your career.