How to learn to be a barista.

To learn how to be a barista, you should get to know the equipment, learn how to brew, and learn the terminology. Here are details on those steps: Get to know the equipment. Even though every coffee shop may have slightly different equipment, the typical pieces will be the same. To be a barista you will need to know how to operate the equipment safely and efficiently, and be able to troubleshoot small problems if they arise. Learn how to brew. To be a barista you will need to know how to brew coffee in a variety of ways. The three most commonly used brewing methods are a pour-over, french press, and cold brew. You will also need to learn how to pull shots. Pulling shots is a very significant part of a barista's job so you will need to become very good at it. Learn the terminology. Working in a cafe or coffee shop is a very fast paced job and many places use specific coffee lingo when passing orders from the counter to the baristas. In order for the process to run smoothly, you'll need to learn the terminology used.

Barista Education Requirements And Courses

Barista education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Usually, baristas don't need a college education. The most common degree for baristas is bachelor's degree with 43% graduates, with only 30% barista graduates earning high school diploma. Baristas who decided to graduate from college often finish Arizona State University or University of Phoenix. Some good skills to have in this position include cash handling, food products and punctuality.

Popular barista certifications include Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS), OSHA Safety Certificate , or Food Safety Manager Certification. To improve barista qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in barista education paths.

What education do you need to become a barista?

What degree do you need to be a barista?

The most common degree for baristas is bachelor's degree, with 43% of baristas earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are high school diploma degree at 30% and high school diploma degree at 17%.

Bachelor's, 43%

High School Diploma, 30%

Associate, 17%

Diploma, 4%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become a barista?

You should major in business to become a barista. 15% of baristas major in business. Other common majors for a barista include psychology and general studies.

Business, 15%

Psychology, 12%

General Studies, 7%

Communication, 6%

Other Majors, 60%

Best majors for baristas

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	14.7%
2	Psychology	12.2%
3	General Studies	7.2%
4	Communication	6.3%
5	Liberal Arts	6.1%

Show more common barista majors

20 best online courses for baristas

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1. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

4.5

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Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

2. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

4.5

(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

3. Food Safety for Managers and Supervisors

4.3

(489)

The Highfield Food Safety Level 3 syllabus presented in two hours of video tutorials. Boost your food safety knowledge...

4. ISO 22000:2018. Food Safety Management System

4.4

(976)

Understand the requirements for a food safety management system applicable for any organization in the food chain...

5. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

4.6

(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

6. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

4.7

(18,204)

Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

7. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module

4.4

(960)

Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...

8. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service

4.6

(601)

Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ Customer Service...

9. Fun food safety and sanitation course

4.6

(539)

The food safety course will help prepare you for safely working in a kitchen and food handler tests like Servesafe...

10. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

4.5

(3,956)

Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

11. The Customer: Build a Customer Service Strategy (BITE SIZE)

4.5

(10,168)

For you and your team to be successful in providing great customer service, start by putting your customer first...

12. Customer Service

4.6

(11,267)

How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...

13. Brilliant Customer Service: How to Impress your Customers!

4.7

(12,891)

Enhance your customer support and truly differentiate yourself from your competition!...

14. Customer Service Success: Take Your Skills to the Next Level

4.5

(2,276)

3-in-1 Customer Service Training: Levels 1, 2, 3 Improve Your Soft Communication Skills, Customer Support & Experience...

15. Customer Service: Keep 'em coming back!

4.5

(3,150)

How to give the best customer service in your industry and keep those customers raving about your business...

16. Customer Service Training: Dealing with Difficult Customers

4.5

(1,035)

Learn how to deal with difficult customers Master customer relationship management Gain conflict management skills...

17. Business Communication Skills: Handling Clients & Customers

4.4

(1,161)

Soft Skills Training Social Skills Business Etiquette Business English Customer Service Training...

18. Your Customer Service Toolbox: Best Practices for Beginners

4.5

(4,101)

Excel as a front-line customer service agent using problem-solving & relationship-building skills, etiquette, and more...

19. The Customer: Develop Customer Centric Metrics (BITE SIZE)

(422)

To inspire good customer service behaviour, we must be able to measure customer experiences meaningfully...

20. Customer Service Basics: Improve your Service now

4.5

(889)

The basic golden rules to kickstart your service...

Average barista salary by education level

According to our data, baristas with a Bachelor's degree earn the highest average salary, at $31,228 annually. Baristas with a Associate degree earn an average annual salary of $30,806.

Barista education level	Barista salary
High School Diploma or Less	$29,444
Bachelor's Degree	$31,228
Some College/ Associate Degree	$30,806