What Classes Are in a Cosmetology Program? Full Curriculum Breakdown

Cosmetology classes cover seven subject categories that the state defines, from hair color chemistry to bookkeeping. In Illinois, the state curriculum rule (Illinois Administrative Code, Title 68, Section 1175.530) requires at least 1,500 clock hours: 150 in basic training, 500 in chemical application and hair treatment, 475 in hair styling, 200 in shop management, 85 in esthetics, 55 in nail technology, and 35 in electives. Cutting, styling, color, and chemical services account for 975 of those hours, or 65 percent of the program. The state sets the subjects and the minimum hours. Each school decides how to teach them.

Illinois Sets the Cosmetology Curriculum at 1,500 Hours

Every licensed cosmetology school in Illinois builds its cosmetology curriculum on the same seven categories. The figures below are the state minimums for each category. A school can teach more hours than the minimum, and it cannot teach fewer.

Section 1175.530 adds three conditions that shape how those hours are delivered:

• Cosmetology classes combine classroom teaching with hands-on practical and technical experience.
• Online theory is capped at 10 percent of the hours in each category, so the large majority of every category happens in person.
• The 1,500 clock hours equal 50 credit hours, at 30 clock hours per credit.

The cosmetology curriculum page at Tricoci University of Beauty Culture lists the topics inside each category.

What Basic Training Covers in the First 150 Hours

Basic training is the theory block. It gives students the science, safety, and legal grounding they need before they perform services. Illinois lists 14 subjects in this category:

• Tools and their use
• Shampoo
• Understanding chemicals and their use
• Types of hair
• Sanitation
• Hygiene
• Skin diseases and conditions
• Anatomy and physiology
• Electricity
• Ethics
• Nail technology
• Esthetics
• Eyelash extensions, tabs, and strips
• The Illinois licensing act and its rules, including sanitary standards

Sanitation and skin conditions sit in this block because a stylist who cannot recognize a contagious scalp condition or disinfect a tool correctly puts clients at risk.

Chemical Services and Hair Color (500 Hours)

Practical chemical application and hair treatment is the largest category, one third of the program. The state lists six subject areas:

1. Chemical safety
2. Permanent waving
3. Hair coloring, tinting, and bleaching
4. Hair relaxing
5. Hair and scalp conditioning
6. Shampooing, toning, and rinsing

Chemical safety leads the state’s list, and every other subject in the category depends on it. Color formulation, lightener strength, and processing time all change with a client’s hair type and history, and mistakes with relaxers or bleach can damage hair and skin. The 500 hours give students repeated practice mixing, applying, timing, and correcting before they work on paying clients.

Haircutting and Styling (475 Hours)

Hair styling and hair dressing is the second-largest category. Illinois requires instruction in eight areas:

• Cutting
• Thinning
• Shaping
• Trimming
• Application of electrical and mechanical equipment
• Curling
• Hair treatments
• Blow drying

Together with chemical services, this category brings hair-focused training to 975 hours. Students who enroll to become stylists or colorists spend about two of every three program hours on those skills.

Shop Management Takes 200 Hours

Illinois requires more time in shop management than in esthetics and nail technology combined. The category covers the business and legal side of salon work:

• Client relations
• Bookkeeping
• Marketing and merchandising
• Labor law and workers’ compensation
• Right-to-know laws and OSHA standards relating to chemical use
• Pertinent state and local laws and rules
• Emergency first aid
• Sanitation and electrical devices
• Business ethics
• Personal grooming and hygiene

These 200 hours matter most to graduates who plan to rent a booth, manage a salon, or open their own business. A booth renter keeps their own books, markets their own services, and answers for their own compliance.

Esthetics, Nail Technology, and Electives

The remaining 175 hours introduce skin and nail services, which a cosmetology license also covers.

Esthetics, 85 hours. Subjects include skin analysis, cleansing, mask therapy and facial treatments with and without machines, non-therapeutic massage, hair removal by tweezing and waxing, professional makeup techniques, and product knowledge. Students who want advanced skincare training can look at the Esthetics Program.

Nail technology, 55 hours. Subjects include manicures, pedicures, hand, arm, and foot massage, fabric and sculpting procedures, light-cured gels, and the machines used in nail services. The Nail Technology / Manicuring Program goes deeper for students who want to specialize.

Electives, 35 hours. The school chooses these topics. At Tricoci University, electives can include wigs and hair additions, creative formal styling, and school events and competitions.

Illinois gives credit for prior licenses. A licensed esthetician in good standing does not have to complete the 85 esthetics hours, and a licensed nail technician does not have to complete the 55 nail technology hours. Both still complete the 150 hours of basic training.

How Tricoci University Structures Its Cosmetology Courses

Tricoci University of Beauty Culture teaches its cosmetology courses in two phases. The Essentials phase builds foundation skills, and the Advanced phase refines technique and adds the business fundamentals graduates use daily. Both phases run through six technical areas:

Hands-on hours include services performed on guests in the campus student clinic salon. Illinois allows this under Section 1175.530: students work under teacher supervision, receive credit toward the 1,500-hour requirement, and receive no compensation or tips. State board preparation runs through the program.

Tricoci University of Beauty Culture is accredited by NACCAS. The full-time Cosmetology Program takes about 10 to 12 months, and part-time night classes at select campuses take about 17 to 20 months. New classes start every 6 weeks.

Do Indiana and Wisconsin Require the Same Classes?

The hour breakdown above is Illinois law, and it does not apply across state lines. Indiana and Wisconsin set their own total hours, subject categories, and exam requirements.

• Indiana: the State Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners, part of the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, sets cosmetology school and licensing requirements.
• Wisconsin: the Cosmetology Examining Board at the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (Wisconsin DSPS) approves training programs and issues licenses.

Tricoci University teaches the same six technical areas at every campus: cutting, design, color, chemical texture, skin, and nails. Cosmetology classes at the Indiana campuses and the Janesville, Wisconsin campus follow their own state’s hour requirements. An admissions advisor at each campus can provide the hour breakdown for that state.

Start Your Cosmetology Training at Tricoci University

Tricoci University of Beauty Culture offers the Cosmetology Program at 15 campuses across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, with new classes starting every 6 weeks. Request information to see the curriculum for your campus and talk with an admissions advisor about schedules and financial aid.