Massage Therapy

Overview

Programs in massage therapy teach people how to promote health and physical healing through the use of therapeutic massage.

Massage therapy programs include topics such as:

Swedish massage
Sports massage
Trigger point massage
Myofascial release
Reflexology
Cranio-sacral therapy
Business management
Professional standards and ethics

Practicum

Practicums allow students to develop skills. Most massage therapy programs require students to complete clinical training before graduation.

Schools

Many career and technical schools as well as many community colleges offer certificate and associate degree programs in massage therapy. A certificate program usually takes a year of full-time study. An associate degree program usually takes two years of full-time study.

A few colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in massage therapy. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study.

See schools that offer this program.

Related Educational Programs

Related Careers

Careers Directly Related to this Program of Study

Massage Therapists

Other Careers Related to this Program of Study

Program Admission

You can prepare for this program of study by getting your high school diploma or GED.

Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:

Anatomy and Physiology
Psychology

Typical Course Work

Program Courses

This program typically includes courses in the following subjects:

Anatomy
Business Practice
Ethics
Kinesiology
Massage Therapy Techniques and Practice
Physiology
Sports Massage
Theory of Massage Therapy

Most of your courses will include supervised training on actual clients. This allows you to practice different techniques and improve your massage skills.

Things to Know

Most states require you to become certified as a massage therapist before you can provide services to clients. This means that you must attend an accredited massage therapy program and pass a national exam.

Different training programs emphasize different types of massage.

Often training programs offer a supervised clinic open to the public. This allows students to gain hands-on experience while also offering low-cost massage services.

Many massage therapy programs are offered part time, with day and evening classes.

Most massage therapists continue to take workshops and courses throughout their professional careers to keep their skills up-to-date.