Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage

Types of Degrees Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many massage therapy/therapeutic massage graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Basic Certificate	6,930
Undergraduate Certificate	3,023
Associate Degree	387
Bachelor’s Degree	12

What Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to massage therapy/therapeutic massage were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in massage therapy/therapeutic massage should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Skills for Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage Majors

A major in massage therapy/therapeutic massage prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage Majors

As you progress with your massage therapy/therapeutic massage degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage Major?

People with a massage therapy/therapeutic massage degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Massage Therapists	26.3%	$41,420

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage?

This major is dominated by women with about 92% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of massage therapy/therapeutic massage majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	11
International Students	0
Other Races/Ethnicities	1

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage

Some degrees associated with massage therapy/therapeutic massage may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for massage therapy/therapeutic massage careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	2.0%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	12.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	35.2%
Some College Courses	6.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	7.0%
Master’s Degree	14.4%
Doctoral Degree	10.0%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.7%

Online Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	189	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	80	1
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	0	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Massage Therapy/Therapeutic Massage

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to massage therapy/therapeutic massage.

Major	Number of Grads
Asian Bodywork Therapy	116
Somatic Bodywork	48
Other Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.