Colleges with Massage Therapy Programs

To become a professional massage therapist, one can enroll in a certification program that will lead to licensure and employment within a year, but in order to take advantage of more of the opportunities in the burgeoning wellness industry, then you might consider attending one of the many colleges with massage therapy programs.

A degree in massage therapy is different from basic licensure in that you will explore more of the academic side of massage, including more in-depth courses in anatomy and physiology. Some people who attend colleges with massage therapy programs want to become physical therapists or enter other health professions where massage therapy is a major component.

By attending a college with a massage therapy program, you will be introduced to many of the more than 80 modalities, or types, of massage, with just a few of them being Swedish massage, reflexology, shiatsu, and deep-tissue massage. A degree in massage therapy will better prepare you to work properly with a wide variety of clientele—after all, you would administer massage on an elderly person in a very different way than you would someone who is younger and healthier. While many people enrolled in colleges with massage therapy programs eventually narrow their focus to just a few types of treatment, they opt for the degree program rather than a certificate program so that they can be open to more options.

Many graduates of massage therapy programs go into private practice, but for those with a degree in massage therapy, private practice is not limited to setting up one’s own spa or wellness center. Instead, people who have undergraduate or graduate degrees in massage therapy have found employment in a wide variety of exciting places—everywhere from sideline at a professional football game, helping to relax the quarterback, to a fast-paced airplane terminal, working to get the kinks out of jetlagged travelers.

Attending college with a massage therapy program is a win-win situation: you learn how to make other people feel good through the expert treatments you provide, while you also benefit from an excellent education—and a degree that can also increase your salary as you move through your career.