An applicant may request to sit for the cosmetology or master barber exam if the applicant has held a master barber or cosmetology license for a minimum of five continuous years in lieu of completing three hundred (300) school hours designated for cosmetologists or master barbers seeking to obtain a license in the other profession. You must provide proof of continuous licensure in order to qualify. Any break in active status means you must complete the three hundred (300) school hours as required by the applicable rules and regulations. The Board will make a final decision to either approve or deny this request.
Please note, the aforementioned waiver does not pertain to instructors who wish to crossover from one discipline to the other. Pursuant to Tenn. Code Ann. 62-4-110 (c)(2)(D) (Cosmetology) and Tenn. Code Ann. 62-3-124 (a)(2)(A) (Barber), you must have been licensed for at least three (3) continuous years in the discipline for which you want to instruct prior to obtaining an instructor’s license. Once you have obtained three (3) continuous years of licensure within the discipline for which you want to instruct, then you may submit an application to test for the instructor theory exam (practical exam is not required). Additionally, you will not be required to attend another 300-hour instructor course since you will have already completed the course for your other instructor license.