Continuing education (CE) is an essential input in a cosmetologist’s successful career. Not only because it helps them to stay compliant, but also because it updates their knowledge of industry trends and enhances their skills so that they are more competitive in what they do.
While a majority of the states across the U.S. require cosmetologists to take continuing education courses to have their license renewed, these CE requirements can vary from one state to the next. Here’s a quick guide to the requirements in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Florida, and Minnesota:
1. North Carolina
If you live in North Carolina, your state’s Board of Cosmetic Art Examiners mandates you to complete a minimum of 8 hours of continuing education by an approved provider every year. You will have to apply to renew your license every 3 years, which means you are required to have completed 24 hours of continuing education between every license renewal period. You can renew your license between July 1st and October 1st of every year, thus you ought to have received your CE certificate before October 1st.
Before commencing your course, ensure that all the topics included are as set by the board. Your best bet when taking your course would be to enroll at an approved Cosmetology Continuing Education academy like RocketCert since they have expert-crafted, easily comprehensible courses that are flexible so you can learn whenever it’s ideal.
2. Georgia
In Georgia, you will have to complete 5 hours of continuing education every two years. The 5 hours should include at least 3 hours of a course in the health and safety category that has been developed or approved by the board. The 3-hour course should be offered by a university department, college, or the Department of Education’s division of continuing education.
The remaining 2 hours should comprise elective courses that are relevant to your practice, such as:
- Industry trends
- Business management
- Health and Safety
- Computer skills
- Industry or trade show
- And more
3. Texas
When working as a cosmetologist in Georgia, you are required to complete 4 hours of department-approved continuing education courses every two years. One out of the four hours should be a course in sanitation and safety.
The remaining 3 hours can be elective courses in various professional development subjects like:
- Mental health awareness
- Sanitation as per the law and rules
- Human trafficking prevention
- Texas Barbering and Cosmetology Laws and Rules
- Or any topic that is listed in section 83.202 of the rules
4. Florida
Florida’s state requirements for continuing education mandate you to cover a total of 10 hours in approved courses during the 2-year period in which your current license is valid. Before the end of these 2 years, you should have completed 9 hours of mandatory courses and 1 hour of an elective course.
The nine hours comprise the following courses:
- 1 hour of an HIV/AIDS course
- 1 hour of a chemical makeup course
- 1 hour of a course related to the practice of cosmetology
- 1/2 an hour of a workers’ compensation course
- 1/2 an hour of an OSHA course
- 3 hours of a sanitation and sterilization course
- 2 hours of Florida laws and rules
5. Minnesota
For Minnesota cosmetologists, you are supposed to take continuing education courses that should tally to 8 hours of learning. The CE topics are set by the board and have to comply with the set requirements.
Half of the course length (4 hours) should be spent on core subjects that should include:
3 hours of infection control standard, health, and safety
1 hour of laws and rules
The other half of your course length should be spent on professional practice. The course matter can include any of these topics:
- Techniques relevant to the type of license you hold
- Proper use of machines and/or instruments
- Product chemistry and chemistry interaction
- Business management and human relations
Learn More About Your State’s CE Requirements
These above are requirements from just 5 of the states in the U.S., which makes it likely that your state may not have been included in this article. With the information in this piece, however, you now get the idea of different continuing education requirements depending on the state you are based in.
Visit RocketCert’s website or check your state’s Board of Cosmetology website for additional information or to know the cosmetology CE requirements of your state. To get started with your CE course, you can contact the team at RocketCert and you’ll get all the guidance you need.
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