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Massage Therapy

Types of Degrees Massage Therapy Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Massage Therapy have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3,558
Associate’s Degree	390
Bachelor’s Degree	13
Master’s Degree	7,068

What Massage Therapy Majors Need to Know

Studies in Massage Therapy emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Massage Therapy graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Massage Therapy emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Massage Therapy program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Massage Therapy careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Massage Therapy graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	3.9 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Massage Therapy professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Electronic health record EHR software	Medical software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
EcoLogic ADAM Indoor Air Quality and Analytical Data Management	Data base user interface and query software	—
Medical procedure coding software	Medical software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Massage Therapy graduates include:

• Laboratory Technology Teacher
• Public Health Teacher
• Neurology Professor
• Professor
• Gynecology Teacher
• Recreation Therapy Aides Teacher
• Public Health Professor
• Pharmacology Professor
• Roentgenology Teacher
• Hearing Therapy Teacher
• Serology Teacher
• Inhalation Therapy Teacher
• Corrective Therapy Aide Teacher
• Medical Pathology Teacher
• Medical Aides Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Massage Therapy graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Postsecondary certificate	31.5%
Master’s degree	21.3%
Doctoral degree	14.7%
Post-doctoral training	11.3%
Bachelor’s degree	9.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.5%
Some college courses	3.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Massage Therapy?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 75% of Massage Therapy degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	8,274	75.0%
Men	2,755	25.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Massage Therapy graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	4,487	40.7%
Asian	478	4.3%
Hispanic or Latino	2,891	26.2%
Black or African American	1,890	17.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	81	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	55	0.5%
Two or More Races	494	4.5%
Race Unknown	589	5.3%
International Students	64	0.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Massage Therapy Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Massage Therapy graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$20,348
4 years	$22,219
5 years	$24,335

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $24,335 — roughly 20% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Massage Therapy Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Massage Therapy graduates earn a median of $22,219 four years after completion — about 42% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services	51.35
Asian Bodywork Therapy	51.3502
Somatic Bodywork and Related Therapeutic Services, Other	51.3599
Somatic Bodywork	51.3503
Advanced General Dentistry	51.0502
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	51.0599
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	51.0999

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.