Essential Information
Estheticians maintain and improve clients' skin tone and texture through skin exfoliation, facials, deep cleansing treatments, makeup application, and other skin care regimens. Many beauty, career and technical schools offer on-campus training programs for estheticians. A handful of these schools may offer their programs in hybrid format, which includes on-campus, hands-on training, and a combination of campus-based and online theory courses. Programs typically result in a certificate. Students looking for a related program which is fully online could consider a makeup artist certificate program.
Required hours of study for an esthetician certificate vary by state but range from 250-1,200 hours, with an average requirement of 600 hours. Hands-on practice with clients in a salon or beauty clinic may also be required in-person. Access to distance learning tools and courses require students to meet specified computer hardware, software and Internet standards.
Esthetician Certificate
Though qualifications vary by state, most estheticians must complete a certificate or degree program and training hours to qualify for a mandatory state licensing exam. The exam consists of two parts: skin care theory and practical application. Upon successful completion of the exam, students become licensed estheticians.
Course Topics
Before actually working with clients, online students may take theory-based coursework in the following areas:
- Body systems
- Diseases
- Business
- Law
- Sanitation
Career Information
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment of skincare specialists, including estheticians, is expected to grow 17% from 2019-2029, which is much faster than the average (www.bls.gov). The BLS also reported that skincare specialists earned a median annual income of $34,090 as of May 2019.
Continuing Education Information
Many states require estheticians to complete annual continuing education hours to maintain licensing. A number of online training options allow licensed estheticians to satisfy continuing education requirements in specialized topics such as anatomy, physiology, massage techniques and spa management skills.
Training to become an esthetician involves coursework, taken either online or in-person, in skin care theory as well as training hours in a salon to qualify for the licensing exam. A makeup artist certificate program is an option for those needing a fully online program.