A group of students and adults in pink shirts pose indoors beside a sign reading Lower Pioneer Valley Career and Technical Center, with a Women Working road sign and event displays behind them.

West Springfield, Massachusetts

Lower Pioneer Valley Career and Technical Education Center

174 Brush Hill Ave, West Springfield, MA 01089
Visit website 413-735-6300
Program price
Price unavailable
Schedule
Schedule unavailable
Program length
1,000 hours
Next start
Not available

About the program

Career TEC’s 1,000-hour cosmetology pathway combines technical instruction with the sciences behind beauty services, including anatomy, physiology and chemistry. Students build foundational skills before moving into chemical services and client work in the CTEC Salon.

This is a high-school pathway: students spend half of the school day at Career TEC and half at their home high school for academic subjects.

What you get

Career TEC’s Certificate of Occupational Competency complements the diploma from your home high school. The cosmetology course includes 1,000 instructional hours and prepares students for the Massachusetts cosmetology licensing examination.

The school certificate and professional license are separate. The state issues the cosmetology license after the licensing examination is passed; completing the school program alone does not award that license.

Schedules & start dates

Students spend half of the school day at Career TEC for technical training and half at their home high school for academic classes.

Class schedule not available

Cost & financial aid

Program price

Price unavailable

Federal financial aid

Eligibility not confirmed

How to enroll

Entry requirements

This pathway is for high-school students, with entry into cosmetology by the start of sophomore year.

  • Rising ninth-graders from LPVEC member communities may apply. Admission depends on promotion to the grade the student plans to enter.
  • Nonresident students may also apply under the CTE admissions policy.
  • Homeschooled students need permission under their sending district’s home-instruction policy and a Home School Approval Letter.

Admission to Career TEC does not guarantee a cosmetology place. Students complete exploration before final shop placement, which depends on performance and available openings.

Read the admissions policy

Application steps

  1. For the 2027–28 intake, apply online between November 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027.
  2. Complete the application information by the required deadline. When applications exceed available seats, school admission uses a blind lottery.
  3. After admission, new ninth-graders take part in a half-year exploratory program before choosing a technical pathway.
  4. Cosmetology placement is separate from the admissions lottery and depends on exploratory performance and openings. A first-choice shop place is not guaranteed.
View admissions information

Program oversight & accreditation

Program oversight
Public high-school CTEHow Massachusetts oversees cosmetology programs
Accreditation
Not confirmed

Sources

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