Make-Up Artist/Specialist Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Make-Up Artist/Specialist maps to BLS occupations averaging about $97,893, with roughly 277,560 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $3,448; common paths include Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance and Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education.
Key Statistics
Make-Up Artist/Specialist: what the data shows
Common questions about make-up artist/specialist degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a make-up artist/specialist degree?
A Make-Up Artist/Specialist program is classified under NCES CIP 12.0406 in the Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services field family (12.04).
A program that prepares individuals to professionally apply cosmetic makeup preparations and perform complete and specialized appearance makeovers including hairdressing, wig work, masking, temporary prosthesis applications, cosmetic applications, and related costuming for leisure or for professional stage, camera, clinical, or security purposes. Includes instruction in period and contemporary hairstyling and costuming; wig work and hairpiece application; synthetic hair and masks; cosmetic preparations and treatments; makeup artistry; attachment, removal, and camouflaging of prostheses; health and safety; client consultation and care; pre- and post-production operations; set and crew conduct and relations; script, instruction, and prescription interpretation; labor relations; and business practices
Types of make-up artist/specialist degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 12.04 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist (CIP 12.0409)
- Barbering/Barber (CIP 12.0402)
- Cosmetology & Personal Grooming Services (CIP 12.0401)
- Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor (CIP 12.0413)
- Design (CIP 12.0404)
- Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist (CIP 12.0408)
- Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design (CIP 12.0407)
- Master Aesthetician/Esthetician (CIP 12.0414)
- Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist (CIP 12.0410)
- Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing (CIP 12.0411)
- Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager (CIP 12.0412)
How long does it take to get a make-up artist/specialist degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 12.0406 in our file:
- 59 Associate (100.0% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a make-up artist/specialist degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Make-Up Artist/Specialist to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | 3,320 | $50,280 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 114,410 | $61,430 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | 97,890 | $80,190 |
| Floral Designers | 40,160 | $36,120 |
| Craft Artists | 4,370 | $38,480 |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | 17,410 | $59,600 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a make-up artist/specialist degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $3,448 and median net price is $14,266.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Make-Up Artist/Specialist and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$3,448 Median In-State Public
$13,713 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Make-Up Artist/Specialist majors are, on average, $3,448 for in-state public colleges, and $13,713 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Make-Up Artist/Specialist programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Make-Up Artist/Specialist from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Make-Up Artist/Specialist.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lone Star College System | TX | 45,188 |
| 2 | Lone Star College System | TX | 45,188 |
| 3 | Houston Community College | TX | 40,503 |
| 4 | Houston Community College | TX | 40,503 |
| 5 | NUC University | PR | 28,918 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Make-Up Artist/Specialist programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 5 | Compton College | CA | $1,142 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Make-Up Artist/Specialist programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 2 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 3 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 4 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $614 |
| 5 | Southern Regional Technical College | GA | $813 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Make-Up Artist/Specialist programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Make-Up Artist/Specialist programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 12.04 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist CIP 12.0409
- Barbering/Barber CIP 12.0402
- Cosmetology & Personal Grooming Services CIP 12.0401
- Cosmetology, Barber/Styling, and Nail Instructor CIP 12.0413
- Design CIP 12.0404
- Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist CIP 12.0408
- Hair Styling/Stylist and Hair Design CIP 12.0407
- Master Aesthetician/Esthetician CIP 12.0414
- Nail Technician/Specialist and Manicurist CIP 12.0410
- Permanent Cosmetics/Makeup and Tattooing CIP 12.0411
- Salon/Beauty Salon Management/Manager CIP 12.0412
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 12.0406 in the survey year used in our extract (59 total across levels below).
- 59 Associate (100.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $97,893. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Make-Up Artist/Specialist graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance | $122,805 | 3,320 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | $91,347 | 114,410 |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $130,318 | 97,890 |
| Floral Designers | $49,284 | 40,160 |
| Craft Artists | $88,430 | 4,370 |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | $68,341 | 17,410 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$97,893 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Make-Up Artist/Specialist majors is $97,893.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Make-Up Artist/Specialist majors.
Occupations by Share
277,560 2023 Workforce
The number of Make-Up Artist/Specialist graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Make-Up Artist/Specialist by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Make-Up Artist/Specialist in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Make-Up Artist/Specialist.
Age distribution for Make-Up Artist/Specialist degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
426 Total Degrees Awarded
21 Male (4.93%)
405 Female (95.07%)
Gender distribution of Make-Up Artist/Specialist degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
257 Hispanic or Latino (60.33%)
100 White (23.47%)
41 Black or African American (9.62%)
7 American Indian/Alaska Native (1.64%)
7 Two or More Races (1.64%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Make-Up Artist/Specialist degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Make-Up Artist/Specialist are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Make-Up Artist/Specialist.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Make-Up Artist/Specialist field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Make-Up Artist/Specialist majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Make-Up Artist/Specialist majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Make-Up Artist/Specialist majors.
About
A program that prepares individuals to professionally apply cosmetic makeup preparations and perform complete and specialized appearance makeovers including hairdressing, wig work, masking, temporary prosthesis applications, cosmetic applications, and related costuming for leisure or for professional stage, camera, clinical, or security purposes. Includes instruction in period and contemporary hairstyling and costuming; wig work and hairpiece application; synthetic hair and masks; cosmetic preparations and treatments; makeup artistry; attachment, removal, and camouflaging of prostheses; health and safety; client consultation and care; pre- and post-production operations; set and crew conduct and relations; script, instruction, and prescription interpretation; labor relations; and business practices
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Make-Up Artist/Specialist.
CIP Code
12.0406 - Make-Up Artist/Specialist
What the data shows
Women earned 95.1% of 426 Make-Up Artist/Specialist completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $97,893. The largest mapped role by headcount is Makeup Artists, Theatrical and Performance (3,320 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $3,448 in-state at public colleges and $13,713 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.