Massage Therapy
Link
to website maintained by the School of Health
Massage Therapy is a personal health service that employs a variety of health and wellness benefits to consumers. The two major benefits of receiving massage therapy are stress reduction, including prevention of stress-related disease, and pain relief for management of orthopedic conditions and injury recovery. The Massage Therapy program, stresses learning in both the art and science of massage therapy. Students gain knowledge of anatomy and physiology, kinesiology, and pathology as they relate to therapeutic massage. Students in the program will study Swedish massage, deep tissue and rehabilitative massage, seated massage, and Asian bodywork. In the second year of study, students work in the on-campus clinic to gain practical experience. The program prepares students for licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and for National Certification as bodyworkers. Graduates work in private practice, day spas, medical and chiropractic offices, and in geriatric care settings.
This program is accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA). All accepted students must undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information or other check.
Requirements for entry into the program include completion of high school biology and algebra 2. Prerequisites to the program are MAST-101 Medical Terminology 1 and CMPA-103 Microcomputer Applications for Windows. Students must receive a minimum grade of B- (80%) or better in all department courses, noted with the prefix INHC and HCAR-350 Pathological Conditions
Massage Therapy Program Goals
- Knowledge of exemplary professional and ethical standards of practice in the field of massage therapy.
- Knowledge of the importance and methods of promoting the safety and health benefits of the applications of massage therapy.
- Training in the proper performance of current massage modalities used in the practice of clinical massage therapy.
- Knowledge of the indications, contraindications, applications and physiological effects of massage on the human body needed in current clinical practice.
- Development of reading, writing, and critical thinking skills that graduates need to demonstrate competency in the field, to continue their education and interpret and perform research in the field of massage therapy.
- Knowledge of the components of a wellness model of health and health care and their importance in the field of massage therapy.
Programmatic Technical Standard (PDF)
| Semester 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Course Title | Credits |
| INHC-110 | MASSAGE TECHNIQUES 1 | 5 |
| ENGL-100 | ENGLISH COMPOSITION 1 | 3 |
| BIOL-148 | BASICS OF ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY | 4 |
| HCAR-115 | HEALTH AND WELLNESS | 3 |
| SOCL-100 | INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY | 3 |
| Total: | 18 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| No. | Course Title | Credits |
| INHC-210 | MASSAGE TECHNIQUES 2 | 5 |
| HCAR-120 | STRESS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE | 2 |
| INHC-301 | MUSCLE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION | 4 |
| ENGL-200 | ENGLISH COMPOSITION 2: AN INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE | 3 |
| PSYC-100 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY | 3 |
| Total: | 17 | |
| Semester 3 | ||
| No. | Course Title | Credits |
| MAST-211 | HEALTH SCIENCE 3 (7 WEEKS) | 1 |
| INHC-310 | MASSAGE TECHNIQUES 3 | 5 |
| HCAR-350 | PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS | 3 |
| INHC-321 | CLINICAL INTERNSHIP I | 2 |
| INHC-360 | PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES IN THE BUSINESS OF MASSAGE | 3 |
| Total: | 14 | |
| Semester 4 | ||
| No. | Course Title | Credits |
| INHC-400 | MASSAGE TECHNIQUES 4 | 5 |
| INHC-421 | CLINICAL INTERNSHIP II | 2 |
| HCAR-430 | COMPLEMENTARY MEDICAL THERAPY | 2 |
| PSYC-325 | LIFESPAN HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT | 3 |
| ELGED | GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVE | 3 |
| Total: | 15 | |
Upon the successful completion of the program requirements, the degree of Associate in Science in Massage Therapy will be awarded.
| Name | Title | Office | Ext | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernadette Della Bitta Nicholson | Professor / Dept. Chair | 20/302N | 4885 | dellabitta |