An esthetics and spa manager wearing a black scrub shirt, with long, blonde hair and arms folded, smiling while standing in a salon

Start your esthetics career in the health and wellness industry

Esthetician – Spa Management Ontario College Diploma program

Amazing facilities! Work in onsite clinic with real clients. Green Circle Certified. Develop your professional skills. Member of CIDESCO.

Program code ESPA
Duration 2 Years
Credential Ontario College Diploma
Program Delivery Full-time
Program delivery method(s) In person What does this mean?

Program information

Program description

The Esthetician – Spa Management program provides you with the practical skills, business training and professional competencies required to work in the growing field of esthetics. Taught by diverse faculty with extensive industry experience, this internationally recognized curriculum offers a holistic approach to teaching spa modalities, including specialized skin, body and hand/foot treatments; corrective make up techniques; and nutritional concepts for skin and body health. With over 240 hours of hands-on experience in Georgian’s Spa clinic, you hone your practice and develop the professional ethics and skills required to run a small business. You also gain the academic preparation for international testing. As a graduate, you’ll have an inspired passion for health and wellness, as well as the technical and management skills necessary for a successful and rewarding career in the esthetics industry.

IMPORTANT: The Esthetician program has a strict “no jewellery” policy and uniform requirement for all labs and clinics.

Intake information

Start dateCampus
Winter 2025 Barrie
Fall 2025 Barrie

Tuition and fees

Work-integrated learning

  • This program includes a clinical placement component where you’ll get clinical experience under the supervision of an experienced registered or licensed professional.
  • Learn about types of work-integrated learning at Georgian.

What are the admission requirements for the Esthetician – Spa Management program?

Esthetician – Spa Management admission requirements

  • Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, mature student status 
  • Grade 12 English (C or U)

Mature students, non-secondary school applicants (19 years or older), and home school applicants may also be considered for admission. Eligibility may be met by applicants who have taken equivalent courses, upgrading, completed their GED, and equivalency testing. For complete details refer to: www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/academic-regulations/

Pathways

Applicants who have taken courses from a recognized and accredited post-secondary institution and/or have relevant life/learning experience may also be considered for admission; refer to the Credit for Prior Learning website for details:
www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/credit-transfer/

Additional information

It is required that students have Standard First Aid prior to participating in the Spa Clinic. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the permit status is valid for the duration of their time in the program.

Please visit the Esthetician – Spa Management webpage for a complete list of permit requirements

During lab and clinics, students are not permitted to wear jewelry and must adhere to the professional decorum policy as described in the student handbook. Students are required to purchase uniforms, a student kit containing implements to be used during the course of the program and a make up kit.

Information about placement requirements

To help you navigate the requirements to complete the clinical placement component(s) of this program (e.g. immunization, First Aid and CPR, criminal record screening and other non-academic requirements), please review the details below.

For more information about placements, visit the Placement Offices webpage.

Placement requirementsGeorgian College Chevron

In order to provide quality practicum placements (“Placements”), students are placed in a variety of agencies, largely in the region serviced by the campus. Students are required to provide their own transportation to Placements. Placements may vary in length (e.g. six to 12 hour days) and may include weekends and evenings, with varying start and end times (e.g. day, afternoon, overnight).

Many programs, including Health and Wellness, have immunization, First Aid and CPR, criminal record screening and  other non-academic requirements that need to be met prior to Placements starting. You are responsible for carefully reviewing and meeting these requirements. The failure to meet them may mean that the host agency may refuse to accept you for a Placement or, if you have started one, that you may be prevented from continuing. The result may be that you cannot complete your program. Program-specific requirements can be found on page 2 of the Clinical Preparedness Permit specific to your program.

You are responsible for meeting all immunization, criminal screening and other requirements by the deadline provided by your program and before you start your Placement.

Notes regarding the Criminal Record Check (“CRC”) and Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS)

Individuals who have been charged or convicted criminally and not yet pardoned or who have adverse entries on their CRC or VSS will be prohibited from proceeding to a Placement. Such a student will normally be counselled to withdraw from the program because the successful completion of a Placement is a program requirement.

Obtaining the CRC and VSS usually requires a processing time of up to 12 weeks and can vary between police jurisdictions. As some jurisdictions require longer lead time for processing, ensure you allow for sufficient turn-around time. Record checks and screenings conducted earlier than six months may not be considered current and not be acceptable. Refer to your Clinical Preparedness Permit for information regarding this. A host agency may refuse a Placement if the CRC or VSS is not satisfactory to it. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the necessary completed documents prior to the start of a Placement at the designated check time, and in the format set by Georgian College and stated in the Clinical Preparedness Permit Information Package. More information can be found on the Placement Offices webpage.

The costs associated with the provision of the CRC and VSS, anything related to them (including, if applicable, obtaining a pardon), and meeting any immunization and other Placement requirements, are to be borne by the student. The non-academic requirements of clinical agencies as described in the Clinical Preparedness Permit are subject to change at any time and host agencies may accept or decline students for any reason at their discretion. Georgian College  is not responsible for any of the costs associated with the foregoing, nor for the consequences of failing to comply with, any of the requirements set out above.  

What career paths can I take as an esthetician or spa manager?

Your Esthetician – Spa Management diploma gives you many career opportunities

An esthetician has many opportunities for employment in the health and wellness industry. Graduates of this program may work in a variety of spas, such as day and resort spas, destination and cruise ship spas, salons, and health and wellness establishments. In addition, graduates are prepared for possible employment in many other areas such as in product sales, distributing and retailing of products, product education, spa reception and management, contracting, self employment and consulting positions, pharmaceutical industries, and Dermatologist and Plastic Surgery offices.

Graduates of this program may be interested in pursing the Medical Skin Care Therapies Ontario College Graduate Certificate program.

Opportunities to further your studies

Upon graduating from the Esthetician – Spa Management program at Georgian, become a specialist in advanced skin care treatments and esthetics! Consider our Medical Skin Care Therapies graduate certificate, a one-year program featuring two clinical placements that explores the advanced theory and practice related to the field of medical esthetics.

Accreditation

CIDESCO Training School

Georgian College’s Esthetician – Spa Management program is accredited by CIDESCO, the world standard for beauty and spa therapy.

Cidesco Training School logo

What courses are included in the Esthetician – Spa Management diploma program?

Course overview

17 Program Courses
3 Clinical Placements
2 Communications Courses
3 General Education Courses

Program-specific courses

Semester 1 courses are listed below. For a full list of courses in the program including course descriptions, view the Esthetician – Spa Management program outline.

  • SPAE 1001 – Cosmetic Product Knowledge
  • SPAE 1003 – Fundamentals of Spa Treatments
  • SPAE 1013 – Manicure and Pedicure Treatments Lab
  • SPAE 1014 – Professional Practice in the Spa Industry
  • SPAE 1017 – Fundamentals of Esthetic Sciences
  • SPAE 1018 – Marketing and Social Media for the Spa Professional
  • Select 1 course from the communications list during registration.

Your course delivery method(s)

In person

This program is delivered fully in person and requires you to attend campus.

Please note, delivery methods are based on planning for the upcoming semester and are subject to change.

Two skin care specialists wearing gray scrubs and blue latex gloves applying a treatment to a patient's eyelids in a spa clinic

Medical Skin Care Therapies

Exceptional facilities, equipment and faculty. Clinical placements will help you develop your skills to work alongside medical professionals.

A Hairstyling student wearing an apron and using a comb and a pair of scissors to trim a client's hair

Hairstyling

Hands-on experience in our salon. Get your in-school hours for trade certification exam. Outstanding facilities, experienced instructors.

A Practical Nursing student at Georgian College wearing navy blue scrubs and wearing a stethoscope in the nursing simulation lab

Practical Nursing

Caring, committed faculty. More clinical time to build your skills. State-of-the-art facilities. Our students excel on provincial exams!

Student with brown, pinned back hair and a white lab coat preparing to analyze a sample with a microscope

Pre-health Sciences Pathway to Advanced Diplomas and Degrees

Your first step toward further studies in health programs. Develop your employability skills. Be on your way to a career in health care!

Do you have questions about Esthetician – Spa Management? Contact us!

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