With so many different types of programs to choose from, selecting a massage school can be daunting.
You can’t become a massage therapist with a college degree alone. Like other specialty trades, your educational journey must begin with an actual massage therapy program.
Choosing a program can be difficult. As you begin to weigh your state’s licensure requirements alongside your personal interests and preferences, finding the best program for you may become overwhelming. By keeping a few important considerations in mind, you can help demystify what massage school is all about so you can take the next steps towards a massage therapy career.
“When someone is interested in becoming a massage therapist, it is imperative to find out what your state requires and if licensure or certification is rooted in state law. Massage therapy licensure, registration or certification is required in every state except for California, Kansas, Minnesota, Vermont and Wyoming,” said Dana Ball, Owner and Director of the Carolina School of Bodywork in North Charleston, South Carolina.
“It’s important to note that the vast majority of states require licensure which means that there is legislation you can look up. For example, South Carolina’s massage therapy law and regulations are overseen by the Massage Board within the department of Labor Licensing and Regulation,” Ball said.
When someone is interested in becoming a massage therapist, it is imperative to find out what your state requires and if licensure or certification is rooted in state law.
Even in places where a license isn’t required, it would be difficult to find employment opportunities and clients without having learned the trade through a massage therapy program. This is all to say that if you want to become a massage therapist, you are practically guaranteed to need a massage therapy education.
Every state-issued license requires applicants to complete an approved massage therapy program lasting a certain number of hours to qualify. This minimum number of hours is typically between 500 and 1,000 hours. This often takes anywhere from six months to a year to finish.
Specialty massage schools and technical colleges offer most massage therapy programs and award a certificate or diploma upon completion.
You can usually find a lot of information about a program by simply browsing their website. This can help you start generating a list of potential programs you may want to attend, but from there, you should contact schools directly to learn more and get clarity on anything you aren’t sure about. When you do speak with someone, prepare a list of questions. We’ve listed some in this article that you might consider to help you get started.
It’s also a good idea to visit schools in person. Setting foot on campus gives you a more accurate feel for the program, what it’s like, their values, the atmosphere and more.
“It would also be helpful to find out if they would allow you to observe a class to see the teaching style of the instructor(s) and how engaging they are, or tour the facility and meet the faculty,” Ball said. “Discovering their sit/pass rate for the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) or required exam would also be helpful.”
Factors to consider
As you embark on your search for a massage therapy program, there are lots of different ways to measure the quality of a program and whether it aligns with your career goals, schedule, budget, interests and more. Here are some of the main aspects you should consider to help pinpoint which program is going to best meet your needs.
Accreditation
When it comes to massage therapy education, the importance of accreditation is a little different compared to other career fields.
Accreditation is a process in which an official accrediting body evaluates a school or program for certain academic standards. This is generally a good thing—it’s a way for students to feel confident that they’ll receive a quality education. Accreditation also means that students can apply for federal financial aid.
The truth is, however, that there are a lot of high-quality massage therapy programs which are not accredited. Accreditation can take a lot of time and money which some smaller schools may not be able to afford, especially if they intentionally keep their tuition low so that their program is more affordable. The bottom line is that while accreditation from the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) or others is a green flag for some, you shouldn’t automatically overlook programs without accreditation.
“Is institutional accreditation or licensure required? That depends on the state’s massage practice act or law,” Ball said. “It is important to note that many states do not require that schools obtain accreditation to provide an approved curriculum. While accreditation is helpful for portability of education from one institution to another, often vocational courses like massage do not transfer outside of the specialty so accreditation may not be advantageous for the institution to obtain.”
It might be more helpful to contact your state’s licensing entity for a list of approved massage therapy programs (accredited or otherwise). This information is also usually readily available online. This way, you know that the listed programs qualify for your state’s education requirement to earn a massage therapist license.
“It is important to make sure that you know what your state requires, and that the institution is approved by your state licensing authority. Traditionally, massage education will have a mix of hands-on and lecture hours, and it is usually counted in clock-hour format which means actual time spent in the classroom,” Ball said.
Questions to ask schools:
Is your program accredited? By whom?
Does this program meet my state’s education requirements for licensure?
Can you provide positive testimonials about your program and/or can you connect me with a recent graduate to learn about their experience?
Program length and cost
Another major factor to consider when selecting a massage therapy program is the length and cost. Tuition is of course the primary cost, but don’t forget to inquire about other expenses like textbooks and equipment that you must supply. This gives you a more accurate idea of how much you’ll actually have to pay.
However, a program’s price tag shouldn’t automatically deter you from applying if cost becomes an issue. You still want to take financial aid into account. Accredited programs should be eligible for federal financial aid, and some programs may offer scholarships depending on students’ financial need.
From there, you’ll want to explore each program’s length and scheduling. Massage therapy programs typically take six months to a year to complete.
Many offer full-time and part-time options to meet students’ scheduling needs. Part-time programs naturally take longer to finish, but they may be easier to juggle alongside a job or other obligations that make full-time schooling a challenge. But if you’re eager to complete your program as soon as possible, a full-time program may be the best route.
Questions to ask schools:
How long will it take to complete this program? Are there part-time and full-time options?
How much does the program cost?
What other expenses does this program require? (Student fees, textbooks, massage table, etc.)
Is financial aid available? Does your program offer any scholarships?
Curriculum
Once you’ve taken a program’s basics into account—accreditation, cost and timeline—you can start to delve deeper into their curriculum. Every program structures their curriculum differently and may have slightly different learning objectives, so this is an important area to focus on.
“It is important to find out the breakdown of curriculum, and find out if their instructors have stayed up-to-date with current research and trends to ensure students are getting the most accurate information,” Ball said. “There are many myths that still persist about massage therapy and unfortunately this is due to therapists continuing to share outdated information, and instructors teaching new students the same outdated information.”
You can expect most programs to cover many of the same foundational body science subjects like kinesiology, pathology, anatomy and physiology. From there, programs begin to differ in terms of the massage modalities they focus on. Popular modalities like Swedish and deep tissue massage are common. Some programs may also touch upon others such as sports massage, fascia stretching, Shiatsu and more. Whether you want to attend a program that’s hyper-focused on one, covers a breadth of modalities or somewhere in between, there are options for everyone.
When exploring massage therapy program curriculums, you may also want to ask whether they have any online learning options. Some programs offer a hybrid format where they conduct classroom-based subjects online and massage practice is held in person. Being able to complete some of your program online could provide some additional flexibility.
Keep in mind that massage is a hands-on profession—literally. You can’t learn how to do it through a screen. Avoid any program that claims to be 100% online. If the program does not have in-person, hands-on practice hours, you won’t qualify for licensure.
Questions to ask schools:
Which massage modalities can students expect to learn about in this program?
What are your program’s learning objectives?
How many students are in each cohort of the program, and what is the student-to-instructor ratio?
Does your program offer hybrid scheduling options?
If any part of your program is conducted online, are classes held synchronously or asynchronously?
Hands-on training
Any quality massage therapy program should include several hundred hours of hands-on practice. This allows students to apply what they’ve been learning about the human body and actually start giving massages. The number of hands-on practice hours you need to apply for licensure depends on your state’s laws, but ranges between 500 and 1,000 hours.
The way some programs do this is they have a massage clinic that’s open to the public. Students get to practice on real people, and clients get a massage that’s relatively inexpensive—it’s a win-win. Other schools may simply hold practice hours where students work on each other, or some combination of the two. It just depends on how that program works.
Questions to ask schools:
How many hands-on practice hours does your program include?
Will I practice on classmates, instructors, the public or all of the above?
What can I expect from the training portion of your program and how can I best prepare?
Career support
Another thing you may want to look out for in a program is whether it includes some sort of business development training. This can act as a bridge between the program and your career, providing you with realistic expectations about what to expect once you’re in the workforce and how to hit the ground running.
Massage therapy programs that include business development training typically cover topics such as:
How to apply for massage therapist licensure in your state
Massage therapy laws and regulations applicable to your state
How to start looking for work
How to start your own business
Business ethics and best practices
Questions to ask schools:
Do you know the MBLEx pass rates for graduates of your program?
Does the program have a business development course or include any other kind of business development training?
What career support resources are available to me during the program and after graduation?
What comes next?
With the knowledge of what to look for when choosing a massage therapy program, you can set yourself up for the best chances of finding your perfect match. Start with your state’s massage therapy licensing laws and the types of programs you should be looking for. From there, begin to explore each school’s curriculum, hands-on training, career support and more. If you’re ready to get started, hit our Find Schools button to search for programs today.
