• Must be 21 years of age or turning 21 prior to your graduation date.
• Students must have an active cosmetology license in the state of Mississippi.
• Completion of the MS Board of Cosmetology Student Enrollment Form is required at time of application.
• Students must meet with the Director of Cosmetology prior to admittance into the program.
• The Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology will require proof of 6 college credits in Board approved classes prior to sitting for the instructor exam.
• Not all programs and courses are available at all campuses.

The first step to become a cosmetology instructor is to earn your high school diploma or GED. Then, you can complete a cosmetology training program. For example, you can earn a diploma from a cosmetology program at a vocational school. After completing a cosmetology training program, you must take your state’s cosmetology license exam to become a licensed cosmetologist. Before becoming an instructor, most cosmetologists gain anywhere from 2-5 years of salon or cosmetology industry experience prior to stepping into an instructor role.

In many cases, to become a cosmetology instructor you must also have an additional cosmetology instructor license. In order to earn this license, you must complete an instructor training program. Requirements vary by state, but typically range between 500 and 1,000 instructor training hours. In Mississippi, cosmetology instructors must have 1,000 hours of instructor training in a licensed school of cosmetology. For more information, see your state requirements or visit the Mississippi State Board of Cosmetology.

Source: Study.com

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for career and technical education teachers was $58,110 in May 2019. Source: BLS.

The majority of career and technical educators, such as cosmetology instructors, work in postsecondary educational institutions. However, they can also work in secondary schools or middle schools. The largest employers of career and technical educators are junior colleges, followed by technical and trade schools. They can also work at colleges, universities, or professional schools. Source: BLS.