what classes to take to become a massage therapist

April 08, 2022 Post a Comment

Massage Schoolhouse

With the increasing recognition of massage every bit an constructive way to support wellness and wellness, massage therapy is a growing career field that can offer schedule flexibility and task satisfaction from helping others. If you are ready to call up seriously near launching a career in an manufacture that the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) estimates is worth $16 billion, read on to explore the steps yous must take to become a licensed massage therapist. This page covers the different types of educational paths to condign a massage therapist, the nuts about massage school—including typical coursework and cost—and gives an overview of what to look on the task market place.

Skip to pop topics on this folio: Massage Certifications and Degrees | Preparing for Your Massage License | How Long Does it Accept to be a Massage Therapist? | Massage Schoolhouse Cost | Working as a Massage Therapist | A Massage Industry Pro Offers Tips on Selecting Schools: Q&A with Jacqueline Leibler | Massage Schools by State

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Massage Career Information
Massage Licensing Requirements

Massage Certifications and Degrees

The requirements to practice as a massage therapist are most oftentimes regulated at the state level, with four exceptions: Kansas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Vermont. There are different massage education paths that will satisfy each state's licensing requirements. These generally break down into two types: certifications that are focused on teaching y'all massage-related data apace so you tin can become licensed and working as a massage therapist as soon as possible, and more than general education degrees (ordinarily associate-level) where massage or massage-related coursework features prominently equally a specialization.

The variety of massage education options ways that many dissimilar types of institutions offer massage therapy schooling, including local community colleges, so-called naturalistic colleges, and stand-lonely massage schools. Make certain you confirm the program you choose is accredited, as many states require y'all to have attended an accredited plan in guild to be licensed. In addition, federal financial aid programs will but provide funding if your school is accredited.

What's all-time for you depends on your educational goals; do you want a well-rounded learning experience or are you more focused on obtaining exactly what you need to begin practicing with clients? You should also consider how much time you're willing to invest in your schooling, and remember that the minimum education required by employers varies based on your state.

Massage Therapy Specializations

Earlier you pick a massage therapy program you should decide what area of massage y'all'd similar to specialize in. Make sure the plan y'all select offers courses in the specialty that interests y'all. The most popular types of massage therapy techniques can include:

Swedish Massage Therapy

This is designed to help stressed clients relax with lotion, oil, and long, kneading movements.

Hot Stone Massage

This relaxing practice involves placing hot stones on the torso to loosen tight muscles and restore rest.

Deep Tissue Massage Therapy

This involves digging deep into the muscles of athletes, clients with pain and those in rehabilitation centers.

Reflexology

This focuses on the anxiety, using pressure points to relieve internal organs.

Thai Massage

This realigns the body through a series of stretching and compression, with some force per unit area point work to increase a client'southward range of motion and flexibility.

Aromatherapy

Using a variety of scented oils based on a client'southward specific needs, aromatherapy can help fight stress, increase energy, help to heal.

Medical Massage

This involves specific treatments, targeted to the medical issues the patient presents, administered after a thorough assessment.

Enrolling in a Massage Therapy Schoolhouse

Admission to massage therapy school is straightforward. Before you can enroll, yous volition need to apply and come across the post-obit common requirements:

Have a high school diploma
Submit official transcripts for any college coursework completed
Pass a criminal background bank check
Have a cumulative form point average (GPA) over 2.0
Meet all other qualifications, based on the schoolhouse

Massage Therapy Instruction Levels

In that location are iii unlike levels of massage therapy teaching. They include:

Diploma and Certificate Programs
These types of programs are very focused on the basic knowledge and skills y'all demand to become a practicing massage therapist. In a diploma or certificate program you are likely to learn nigh dissimilar massage techniques, anatomy and physiology, and business courses that volition help you sympathise the authoritative side of the field.

Associate Degree
Because this is a general education degree, you lot'll notice that the curriculum will typically have requirements that are not massage therapy-specific. In addition to the types of courses you might find in a certificate plan, you volition also be required to accept courses in English, psychology, and folklore, among other general electives.

Advanced Degrees
Graduate level degrees in massage therapy are uncommon, but information technology is possible to find master's-level programs in somatic psychotherapy that combine bodywork with counseling skills. There are currently no doctorate programs in massage therapy in the U.Due south.

What Do You Larn in Massage Therapy School?

A massage therapist must exist good with his or her hands, but the job also requires in-depth knowledge of the human body, strong communication skills, and the ability to empathise a client's sometimes complicated medical history. In addition to taking the core classes your school may require for graduation, yous may also larn:

Communication Skills for Health Professionals
This kind of form teaches y'all to explain circuitous procedures or medical conditions to clients.
Anatomy and Physiology
In this grade, you'll typically gain in-depth cognition on how the body is structured.
Kinesiology and Nutrition
These topics provide an overview of the trunk's structure and how information technology functions.
Wellness Psychology
In this blazon of course, you can learn near the causes and treatments of psychological issues that can affect the trunk physically.
Ethics
Moral codes extend to business dealings, and this kind of course volition lay the foundation for how you lot might make ethical choices.
Critical Thinking for Health Professionals
This type of class may teach you how to trouble-solve complicated situations in healthcare.
Medical Terminology
These types of courses introduce you to the terminology used past healthcare professionals in the industry.

You may also accept constituent courses such every bit business organisation management, pregnancy massage or sports massage to assistance farther your career. Some courses may even touch on on holistic practices including herbalism, aromatherapy, meditation, homeopathy, yoga and tai chi.

At every level, look that virtually coursework requiring hands-on experience will exist offered in-person or on-campus merely. However, many full general courses or "volume learning" type of courses such as algebra or business advice may be offered in an online format, depending on the school. Clinical feel hours will teach yous how to perform massage techniques and permit y'all to practice on real clients in public clinics, rehab centers and hospitals.

sponsored content, school availability varies past location

sponsored content, school availability varies by location

Preparing for Your Massage License

The full requirements for obtaining massage therapy licensing vary past state and may include:

Passing the federal Massage and Bodywork Licensing Test (MBLEx)
State licensing exams
A minimum number of training hours
Payment of a fee
Some states, like Florida, require board certification from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) (in well-nigh states, board certification is voluntary).

Most states' massage therapy licenses are but valid for a flow of fourth dimension, such as two years, after which yous must renew the license in order to go along practicing in that land. In many states, you must also consummate continuing education hours as a status of license renewal.

Passing your exams—whether the MBLEx or another exam in the massage therapy field, including some for board certification—can be a source of feet for many prospective massage therapists. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help with test prep. For example, popular apps that assistance massage therapy students report for their required exams include:

American Massage Therapy Clan (AMTA) Massage Exam App
Prepares students for the MBLEx test with practise questions.

Pocket Prep
Helps students study for the MBLEx exam through 600 questions over 8 different subjects.

MBLEx Practice Exam 2019 Edition
Uses over 600 test questions to help students written report for the MBLEx exams.

NCBTMB Exam Prep
The National Certification Lath for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) administers a voluntary board certification exam called the BCETMB, which shows avant-garde standing among massage professionals and is required for graduate students in some states.

How Long Does it Accept to be a Massage Therapist?

The average length of time it takes to get a licensed massage therapist varies by location and instruction level. Vocational schools offering certificate programs let students to graduate in a shorter amount of time, while associate degree programs typically take two years.

Differences in Massage Therapy Program Lengths past State, City and Education

The amount of fourth dimension y'all spend in schoolhouse can depend on the type of education you seek and the state or city in which you take classes. Each country's regulations vary, and program length is directly afflicted by this. In Delaware, for instance, you'd demand simply 300 hours of training from an canonical school to get a massage technician, while united states of america of New York and Nebraska require the about preparation, with ane,000 hours of educational activity.

At that place are likewise a few states that, rather than agree state-wide requirements, vary based on municipality, or even by the type of job you seek. This is the case in Kansas, Minnesota, Wyoming and Vermont.

FIND BEAUTY SCHOOLS NEAR YOU!

Massage School Toll

It'due south important to consider how you'll pay for tuition. Scholarships and fiscal aid are available to help students comprehend the toll of a massage school pedagogy, and you may also notice financial back up opportunities available through the specific school that you attend.

How much does massage schoolhouse cost?

Massage school tuition varies dramatically based on the blazon of caste or certification y'all're seeking. Fifty-fifty amongst massage-specific educational tracks, the difference in cost tin be huge. For instance, almanac tuition for a massage therapy certification for the 2018-2019 academic twelvemonth is $xi,700 at the Healing Mountain Massage School in Salt Lake City, Utah, while an associate degree in massage therapy costs $27,102 a yr from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego, California.

Massage School Scholarships

Paying for massage therapy school doesn't accept to make you lot go bankrupt, equally you may qualify for scholarships that are offered via grooming programs, schools and national massage therapy associations. Some places of business even offer tuition reimbursement for students after graduation, and accredited colleges and universities will offering other forms of financial assistance for students such every bit Pell Grants and federally backed student loans.

Scholarships are a terrific source of financial aid because they practise not have to exist repaid. Massage schools and traditional colleges ofttimes offering scholarships. In substitution for a scholarship, y'all may demand to encounter certain requirements such as existence enrolled full-time or maintaining a certain GPA.

To detect massage school scholarships, yous tin wait at your school's financial aid page or enquire the admissions representative. You can also observe scholarships in massage therapy through industry organizations such every bit:

American Massage Therapy Association – Awards a $5,000 scholarship to a massage therapy pupil each year.
Dazzler Changes Lives Foundation – Offers six $1,500 scholarships toward tuition from the American Association of Cosmetology Schools.
Beauty Schoolhouse Directory – Nosotros offering scholarships to students pursuing a career in the beauty manufacture, including massage therapy.

For a full listing of massage therapy scholarships and more information virtually them, head on over to our massage therapy scholarships page.

After graduation, you may also be able to obtain reimbursement for the price of your tuition through an employer assist program. You'll demand to piece of work in the field for at least a year, and your employer may even cover the cost of your continued teaching. Hither are just a few examples:

Burke Williams Spa – offers an in-house training program, employment after graduation, and tuition reimbursement after graduation.
Massage Envy – Subsequently training and helping you laissez passer the MBLEx examination, Massage Green-eyed offers up to 100% tuition reimbursement to their squad members.

Working as a Massage Therapist

No two jobs are fabricated the same, and your experience as a massage therapist will depend on your career aspirations, personal schedule, workplace, specialty, and teaching level.

Like many other beauty careers, massage therapy is not always a 9-5 job, as evening and weekend hours may exist expected depending on your employer. Many positions are held in rehab centers, nursing homes, or hospitals, while salons, spas, resorts, cruise ships, and homeopathic offices too offer opportunities. You could as well provide at-home or mobile massage services.

What Does a Massage Therapist Do?

Massage therapists spend their days literally easily-on with their clients, manipulating muscles and soft tissue to salvage pain, promote relaxation, heal injuries, amend apportionment, relieve stress, and promote overall health.

They may also spend their day reviewing appointments, setting upwardly supplies, cleaning massage rooms and tables, and making sure waiting rooms are make clean and presentable.

A Massage Manufacture Pro Offers Tips on Selecting Schools: Q&A with Jacqueline Leibler

Jacqueline Leibler has studied anatomy, physiology and biomechanics since 2011, and equally of spring 2019 completing her education in massage therapy. She has worked equally a personal trainer and restorative exercise specialist.

Summarize what, if any, differences there are between schools that a prospective student should evaluate to make their decision about which school to enroll in.

Showtime, every state differs when it comes to their requirements for licensure and exercise, then academic offerings volition change from country to state in minute ways. I don't believe the differences are huge (how many hours you need before you sit for the licensing examination, how many practicum hours you need, etc.) but students should research this and accept information technology into consideration when choosing a school.

Side by side, there will also be differences in the teaching staff. Some schools hire massage therapists with no didactics experience, and this can present challenges – especially when didactics adults who have already been in the workforce for a while and may desire a more than structured arroyo to teaching rather than "this is how I practice information technology", or a teacher who just reads from a PowerPoint.

I would recommend request the admissions squad almost this and doing inquiry on whether the teachers are trained to teach/instruct. I know this sounds nitpicky, but information technology makes a huge difference in my experience.

I would also recommend asking how much time the curriculum spends on business practices and licensure requirements. The reality is that as a massage therapist you are selling/marketing yourself, fifty-fifty if y'all work in a clinic or spa, and schools should accept trained instructors who can walk y'all through how to be in business concern for themselves.

What factors did y'all personally consider when you were deciding which massage therapy school to attend?

Location was a big one for me, also every bit the reputation of the school. I called around to spas and clinics and asked them how they felt about graduates of the schoolhouse I chose. I wish I had known to ask more questions or had audited a class earlier I enrolled, because my answers to the previous question are the result of learning the hard way what I wish I'd asked first. I also was working while in school, then a schoolhouse that offered a night program was very important, as was price.

Different schools offering a range of degrees, from a diploma to an associate degree. What are the differences in what students learn in unlike caste levels? In other words, what practice y'all acquire in an associate degree programme that yous wouldn't learn in a diploma programme?

I honestly don't think there is much difference in curriculum, but I do call back the teachers would be trained/certified to teach, which I believe makes a huge difference.