Barbers had an established guild as early as 1308. Guilds were based on a master/journeymen system. This system provided a master to train apprentices from novice through journeymen status providing the education needed for them to become barbers.
A.B. Moler opened his first barber college in Chicago in 1893. Soon after, he opened the Iowa Barber College in 1899 and the Cedar Rapids Barber College in 1900. Moler turned his colleges into a franchise, allowing others to open branches for a fee. Moler Barber Colleges opened in St. Louis and Des Moines soon after. The Moler Barber Colleges were the first of their kind globally.
Barber colleges were the beginning of a new era for barbers. The education system marked them as professionals. Barber colleges spread to nearly all major cities in America. By 1920, barbers had gained professional status as they moved from the simple tasks of grooming to providing scientific treatments for the skin, scalp and hair. By 1980, more then 50 percent of barber students were female, and by 1995 statistics revealed more than half of the students were black.