Is barber and cosmetology been changed by dept of education?

1. What actually changed — mostly state boards, not a federal Education Department

Reporting in the provided results shows specific state boards and legislatures updating curriculum, hours, continuing education, licensure timing, and fee structures — for example, the Virginia Board for Barbers and Cosmetology approved new training hour and curriculum requirements scheduled for December 1, 2025 (cosmetology remains 1,000 hours though topics change) and advised schools they can’t teach new programs until Board approval ^{[1] [3]}. Texas’s Department of Licensing and Regulation published new continuing education rules effective September 1, 2025 requiring 4 CE hours for many licensees ^[2]. These are state-level actions, not actions of a federal Department of Education ^{[1] [2]}.

2. Examples from the states in the search results

Virginia: Board-approved curriculum revisions affecting cosmetology, barber, master barber and related programs, with effective dates and submission deadlines for schools ^{[1] [3]}. Texas: a statewide CE change requires 4 hours of department‑approved CE every two years for many licensees, including a mandated hour on human trafficking prevention ^{[2] [5]}. Oklahoma: a state bill (HB 2141) retooled curriculum and moved some renewal timing to biennial cycles, increased fees, and changed curriculum oversight responsibilities ^[6]. Idaho and Mississippi materials show boards engaging in rulemaking, fee and licensure-cycle discussions in 2025 ^{[7] [8]}.

3. What areas changed and why — curriculum, CE, fees, licensure cycles

Across the supplied sources the common themes are: curriculum revisions (topics and instructor qualifications), continuing education mandates (hours and content), shifts from annual to biennial renewal in some jurisdictions, and fee increases or potential increases debated by boards ^{[1] [2] [6] [7]}. These changes are framed as efforts to update training to reflect modern trends, public health and safety standards, and workforce needs — for example, Virginia ties curriculum changes to updated instructor qualification pathways and mandatory Board approvals ^[1].

4. Where national/federal involvement does — or does not — appear

The supplied materials do not show a nationwide Department of Education rule that changed barber or cosmetology standards. Instead, regulatory responsibility and recent actions described in these documents are at the state level — state boards, state departments of licensing, and state legislatures are cited repeatedly as the entities making and implementing changes ^{[3] [2] [6]}. Available sources do not mention a federal Department of Education directive altering barbering or cosmetology standards.

5. Industry reaction and training-provider framing

Trade schools and colleges (e.g., Associated Barber College, Milan Institute) are publishing trend and curriculum-oriented pieces positioning their programs as responsive to industry shifts (technology, sustainability, personalization) while promoting their training as up to date ^{[9] [4] [10] [11]}. These institutional pieces support the idea of curricular modernization but represent industry perspective rather than regulatory action ^{[4] [11]}.

6. Limitations, gaps, and what reporting doesn’t say

The supplied search results are state- and industry-focused; they do not provide a comprehensive national inventory of every state’s rule changes nor do they include any direct communications from the U.S. Department of Education on this sector ^{[1] [2]}. If you seek whether a federal Department of Education rule changed barbering/cosmetology nationally, the available sources do not mention that (not found in current reporting). For a complete national picture, you would need to review each state board’s notices or a federal statement, neither of which appear in the provided results ^{[3] [12]}.

7. What to watch next and practical advice

If you are a student, instructor, or license-holder: check your state board’s website for official curriculum changes, CE mandates, licensure-cycle changes and deadlines — Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho and others shown in the results have posted concrete timelines and new requirements ^{[1] [2] [6] [7]}. If you are an employer or school administrator: prepare to submit updated curriculum packets and obtain Board approvals where required and track CE provider application windows ^{[1] [13]}.