Harper College
Massage Therapy

Massage Therapy Certificate

Person performing massage therapy on another person's leg

Prepare for a hands-on career

Program facts Health Sciences icon

  • Stackable to degree: No
  • Employment outcome: Massage Therapist

Prepare for a career in massage therapy with this certificate program. You’ll learn techniques to manipulate soft tissue to promote wellness, flexibility and healing of the body, mind and spirit. The program combines a variety of massage modalities, focusing on both relaxation and rehabilitative massage therapy.

Your training will include 2 semesters of experience in Harper College's on-site Massage Therapy Clinic, a real-world massage clinic environment. The entire program can be completed as quickly as 11 months.

After graduation, to work in IL you must pass the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx) and apply for licensure with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. You will also be eligible to sit for the Board Certification Exam to be Board Certified for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (BCTMB), the highest credential in the massage therapy profession.

It is natural to want your education to be on the cutting edge and to know the effort you are putting in is matched by your school's desire to provide a quality education that meets the highest standards. Harper College's Massage Therapy Program has earned Programmatic Accreditation through the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA), (900 Commonwealth Place Suite 200-331, Virginia Beach, VA 23464, 202-888-6790). Harper is among a relatively small number of massage therapy programs nationwide that have earned COMTA programmatic accreditation. Harper College's combination of affordable in-district tuition, job placement assistance available to graduates for life, caring and experienced faculty and the full complement of community college student services, makes Harper College's Massage Therapy program a great choice for your education.

Our program is a school member of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), the oldest and most respected massage therapy professional association in the country. With this school membership students get a free student-level membership to the association. We are also an Assigned School with the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, (NCBTMB) both of which are members of the Coalition of National Massage Therapy Organizations.

Certificate program requirements

This 24 credit-hour program prepares the graduate to be a massage therapist and sit for the required Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx) and apply for state licensure as a Massage Therapist. Graduates also have the option to take the exam to become Board Certified for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. A massage therapist manipulates soft tissue to promote wellness as well as restore and improve function. Massage therapists are employed in diverse environments from chiropractic and rehabilitation settings to beauty and health spas. Many massage therapists own their own businesses as well as travel to on-site locations. Massage therapy can be a full-time career or part-time supplemental employment. This program combines clinical and didactic educational experiences to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide high-quality massage therapy care to clients with diverse background and clinical presentations. The Massage Therapy Program is programmatically accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (900 Commonwealth Place, Suite 200-331, Virginia Beach, VA 23464, Phone: 202.888.6790, Email: info@comta.org, Website: www.comta.org). To work in the massage therapy profession, graduates must meet the requirements set by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR): 18 years of age, high school graduate or equivalent (GED) and successfully pass a criminal background check. Graduates must pass the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx) and apply for licensure with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Prospective students must meet the current program admissions requirements including a program orientation with the program coordinator.

Program Requirements

NumberCourse TitleCredits
First Semester
MTP 110Massage Practice Fundamentals1
MTP 112Massage Therapy: Structure and Function I2
MTP 115Foundations of Massage Therapy I3
MTP 118Hydrotherapy and Introduction to Clinic1.5
MTP 123Integrative Palpation I3
Hours10.5
Second Semester
MTP 122Massage Therapy: Structure and Function II2
MTP 125Foundations of Massage Therapy II2.5
MTP 128Massage Therapy Clinical I1
MTP 133Integrative Palpation II2
Hours7.5
Third Semester
MTP 135Foundations of Massage Therapy III2
MTP 136Advanced Treatment Planning and Applied Therapies2
MTP 137Massage Practice Development1
MTP 138Massage Therapy Clinical II1
Hours6
Total Hours24

Program Outcomes

The Massage Therapy Program curriculum has been designed to promote learning and development so that following successful completion of the program each graduate will be able to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to perform as an entry-level massage therapist, including the ability to: 

  1. Assess a client's history and current goal(s) to create and communicate a treatment plan;
  2. Utilize a variety of techniques from the massage therapy scope of practice, the effects of which address and target the client’s goals;
  3. Modify the treatment plan based on client feedback and observable results;
  4. Manage treatment time to effectively address the client’s goals;
  5. Create concise, accurate documentation of treatments and on-going treatment plans;
  6. Discuss and implement practices according to legal, professional and ethical standards to protect the client, the practitioner and the profession;
  7. Describe the need for lifelong learning to maintain professional competency and identify educational pathways to attain professional goals and objectives.

The competencies taught in the Massage Therapy program are consistent with the competencies assessed by the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx).

Competencies related to general knowledge of body system structure, function and pathology, detailed knowledge of musculoskeletal anatomy, physiology and kinesiology, assessment, therapeutic massage application, professional standards, ethics, self-care as well as business and legal practices are incorporated into Harper College’s Massage Therapy program.

Resources

  • COVID Vaccine Policy:

    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 program  does not require these vaccinations as a criterion for admission. Check with the Massage Therapy Program Coordinator 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 departments and programs in the Health Careers division may 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. 

For more information about massage therapy courses at Harper College, contact Admission Outreach at 847.925.6700, or submit a request information form. You can reach the program coordinator at 847.925.6076. You can also apply online.

Last Updated: 9/29/26