Massage therapy is an up-and-coming allied health care profession. Massage therapists
are employed in diverse professional settings, from chiropractic and rehabilitation
settings to health and beauty spas and fitness centers. Many therapists own their
own businesses as well as travel to on-site locations. Part-time supplemental employment
as well as full-time careers are possible in this diverse profession. And with sky-high
demand combined with very low supply of practitioners, there has never been a better
time to become a professional Massage Therapist!
The Massage Therapy program at Harper College will teach you techniques for both relaxation
and rehabilitative massage. You'll learn from experienced instructors in lecture,
lab and Harper's on-site Massage Therapy Teaching Clinic, which gives you a chance
to work with real-world clients in a supportive, instructive environment.
This program can be completed as quickly as 11 months using the full-time program
structure which meets 4 days/week with classes during the day. A new class starts
in this program every August.
Class schedules are also available as an evening/Saturday option in our part-time
program structure, which typically takes about 17-months. A new class starts in this
program every January.
The Harper College program is accredited through the Commission on Massage Therapy
Accreditation (COMTA), one of fewer than 70 massage therapy programs in the country with this distinction.
This accreditation means you can rest assured you are choosing a program adhering
to highest standards in the massage therapy profession. Being accredited also makes
our students eligible to apply for federal financial aid.
Learn more about career outcomes for Harper's Massage Therapy certificate program.
Each career profile offers a complete picture on the local job market, including salaries,
open positions, top local employers and more. To learn more, visit our Massage Therapy Careers page.
Massage Therapists
Massage Therapists
* Data sampled April 2025. Visit the Massage Therapists career profile for most current data.
$57,190 Median Salary
8.8% Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)
110 Job Postings
Description:
Perform therapeutic massages of soft tissues and joints. May assist in the assessment
of range of motion and muscle strength, or propose client therapy plans.
Core tasks:
Confer with clients about their medical histories and problems with stress or pain
to determine how massage will be most helpful.
Massage and knead muscles and soft tissues of the body to provide treatment for medical
conditions, injuries, or wellness maintenance.
Maintain massage areas by restocking supplies or sanitizing equipment.
Apply finger and hand pressure to specific points of the body.
As a Health Career program, Harper College Massage Therapy Program encourages students to be up to date with vaccinations for influenza, COVID, varicella, TDAP
and MMR, but as this program does not require an off-campus clinical rotation, this programdoes not require these vaccinations. Check with the Massage Therapy Program Coordinator at jmiller4@harpercollege.edu to find out what other requirements must be completed prior to starting classes.
Note: This policy is unique to the Massage Therapy Program among Harper College’s other
Health Careers programs. Other programs in the Health Careers division have requirements
that differ from this policy, in most cases based on the requirements of that program’s
clinical site(s) where students complete clinical internships.
Overview of the Massage Therapy program and profession
Massage Therapy program admission/enrollment process
If you have any questions about Massage Therapy, Harper's Massage Therapy Program,
admission requirements or when you would be able to start the program, email Program
Coordinator, Jeremy Miller at jmiller4@harpercollege.edu.
For more information about starting your college education at Harper, please contact
Admissions Outreach at 847.925.6700 or fill out our request information form.
