Massage Therapy School Admission Guidelines

A person interested in becoming a massage therapist may wonder what is involved in massage therapy certification requirements. As of 2010, thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia control massage practices with regulatory boards, laws, and certification or educational requirements. Most of these states require certification from the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB) or the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage (NCETM). As well, some states that do not regulate massage therapy have local laws (city or county) that must be followed. Even if one lives in one of the thirteen states that are not yet regulating massage therapy, it is a good idea to pursue licensing. Doing so demonstrates to future clients that the therapist is serious about body work and is well trained, as evidenced by the successful completion of massage therapy school requirements.

So what is required in order to be accepted into massage therapy schools? While massage therapists must have completed a course of study at an accredited school in order to sit for the National Certification Exam, one school’s admission requirements may not be the same as another’s. Most schools require applicants to be high school graduates or to have equivalency degrees. Many massage therapy schools prefer students who have some college experience, although it may be possible to waive that requirement.

The massage therapy school requirements will likely include a face-to-face interview. Massage is intimate work, and it is important to ascertain if an applicant has the proper attitude of respect and compassion. As well, massage therapists must be clear communicators—both listening and speaking. In a face-to-face interview, the person being interviewed may ask questions. In order to complete the program, the student will devote between 500 and 1,000 hours to study and training. The student needs to determine that the selected program is a high-quality one that will help to fulfill his or her goals.

In addition to an interview, the massage therapy school admission requirements will consider previous classes, life experience, and any training in the areas of psychology, business, the humanities, and the sciences. While the student may be tempted to select a program that does not have these requirements, he or she should consider carefully. It is undesirable to graduate from an inferior program that does not have a strong reputation. After all, the student’s goal as a massage therapist is to help people relax, heal, and return to balance. The integrity with which a person selects a school will ultimately reveal a lot about him or her. Fulfilling the massage therapy school requirements, both in terms of admission and graduation, will be very revealing about the therapist’s knowledge and work ethic to both future employers and clients.