I attended both a 600/600 hour (basic/master) esthetics program and a 300/300 hour program, both in Virginia.  I can honestly say that I learned more from the 300/300 hour program, their quality of education far surpassed the quality in the 600/600 hour program, in half the time and at more than half the cost.  The 600/600 hour school seemed more concerned with making money, not only through tuition but also by requiring students to bring in many clients and charging them a good deal of money for the services.  The only reason I attended the 600/600 hour program was because the owner was on the esthetics board and lead me to believe that the esthetics licensure would be approved for 600 basic/600 master.  I also agree with the other comments about school owners, who stand to benefit most from the 600/600 hour licensure, being a conflict of interest.  I agree that the state of Virginia needs esthetics regulations, but to go from having no licensure to one of the toughest in the nation is far too dramatic of a leap.  I believe that if schools are providing 'quality' education then a 300 hour basic and a 300 hour master program would be sufficient, as most states surrounding Virginia require a total of 600 hours to perform all esthetic functions, including chemical peels and microdermabrasion.