Course overview
This course has two pathways: hairdressing or beauty therapy and aesthetics. You gain academic knowledge, practical skills and experience ready to enter a professional role in the hair or beauty sector.
As well as lectures, seminars and workshops, you undertake practice hours allowing you to blend module theory and practical knowledge to develop and refine your skills in salon operations. You also benefit from guest speaker lectures to gain an insight into career development and aspirational goals.
This is an award of Teesside University delivered in partnership with Hartlepool College of Further Education.
Course details
Course structure
Year 1 core modules
Managing and Developing People
Gain a theoretical and practical understanding of managing and developing people in the industry. Examine the importance of effective recruitment and selection, and key aspects of employment law. Using a combination of real-world examples and case studies, explore organisations within the sector and how they manage staff. Learn about the relationship between effective recruitment and development.
Marketing plays a significant role in any industry, but particularly in the service sector. Organisations cannot operate without promotion or market research for communicating with a range of customers. Examine factors that influence the marketing of products and services and analyse the effectiveness of promotional campaigns for organisations to achieve their marketing objectives.
Working on a hypothetical organisation of your choice, apply your wider learning by setting up your own business, considering all aspects and providing supporting documentation to demonstrate your capability.
The Work Environment and Self-Analysis
The range of employment opportunities in any industry are diverse, from specialist operatives to strategic managers. Research and explore your industry of interest and formulate a career action plan, detailing your strengths and weaknesses to bridge any skills and knowledge gaps.
Hairdressing pathway
Advanced Colour for the Hair Practitioner
Get an advanced insight into colouring within the hairdressing sector, learning the science of colour and correction techniques. Gain the theoretical and practical skills required to pursue a career in hairdressing, and explore a holistic approach to colour, examining product effectiveness and considering health and safety requirements.
Beauty and aesthetics pathway
Sustainable Beauty and Aesthetics
Examine sustainable beauty and aesthetics in a commercial environment and develop advanced creative products, skills and understanding. Explore common management practices and cultures including key competencies required to offer this type of product. Study the relationship between key products, product development and customer experience.
Year 2 core modules
Cultural Awareness in Industry
Increasing globalisation within service industries presents a range of cultural awareness and diversity challenges to managers. Use recognised theory and principles to understand their impact on business activities, exploring different approaches to working across national boundaries, and developing an appreciation of the complexities faced by managers in dealing with this.
Apply your wider learning in a working environment. Take part in a project with an organisation of your choice to improve an aspect of its operations. This provides a solid platform to showcase your skills, enhancing employability, and supporting you to understand the application of research methodologies and analysis of results.
Understand the importance of diet and exercise, and examine the effects of stress and hereditary conditions on hairdressing and beauty aesthetics. Demonstrate your understanding of the impact of poor health practice and explore the benefits of products and treatments in relation to health and wellbeing.
Hairdressing pathway
Explore current creative styling trends in the hairdressing sector and their key drivers and influences. Examine issues relating to design and development, as well as staffing, health and safety, and use of specialist equipment. Develop your practical skills and creative flair, working with professional hairdressers in a commercial environment. Bring together your creative and practical skillset, essential to management in the sector.
Setting Standards and the Commercial Environment
Explore the salon environment including products, their application and commercial benefits. Learn about common management practices and culture, and key competencies required to assess in a salon. Understand the relationship between key products, their development and marketing, and the customer experience.
Beauty and aesthetics pathway
Aesthetic Principles and Practice
Gain advanced insight into aesthetic beauty therapy within the sector, considering the science behind aesthetic techniques, and understanding the theoretical and practical skills required to pursue a career in this environment. Explore a holistic approach to the products and procedures used in aesthetics, alongside their effectiveness. Determine safe and hygienic working practices.
Ageing and the Physiology of Skin
Gain an overview of ageing and styling in beauty and aesthetics. You explore current treatments within the sector, as well as key drivers and influences. Examine issues such as property of the skin, skin histology and age-related declines, as well as health and safety. Develop practical skills and creative flair, working with professional practitioners in a commercial environment. Bring together your creative and practical skillset, essential to successful management in the sector.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
You attend a number of formal lectures at Hartlepool College of Further Education. These sessions:
- introduce module content and assessments
- teach module content and provide time for learning and reflection
- give time to prepare and complete assessments.
You also undertake weekly one-to-one and group tutorials. These sessions provide regular feedback and support, and opportunities to develop your reflective practice skills, considering your personal development.
Practice hours allow you to develop and refine your skills in salon operations. These sessions may be outside of timetabled hours at a time to suit industry requirements, approximately six hours in total.
How you are assessed
Our Disability Services team provide an inclusive and empowering learning environment and have specialist staff to support disabled students access any additional tailored resources needed. If you have a specific learning difficulty, mental health condition, autism, sensory impairment, chronic health condition or any other disability please contact a Disability Services as early as possible.
Find out more about our disability services
Find out more about financial support
Find out more about our course related costs
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
40-48 points
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
You can gain considerable knowledge from work, volunteering and life. Under recognition of prior learning (RPL) you may be awarded credit for this which can be credited towards the course you want to study.
Find out more about RPL
Employability
Career opportunities
You are prepared for a career as a salon owner, entrepreneur, hairdresser, beauty therapist, aesthetic therapist, instructor or assessor.