According to policies and guidelines of our program's accreditor, the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation, graduates are considered "placed" when they are:
1. Working legally (having obtained applicable licensing, etc.);
2. Utilizing knowledge and skills acquired during the training;
3. Either:
a. Employed: Full-time or part-time work for another entity
b. Self-employed: Independent contractor, sole proprietor, etc.
4. Placed within 180-days after graduating
The Benchmark Placement Rate for all COMTA accredited Massage Therapy programs was 65% until March 2025 when it was updated to 75% (for reporting periods of 2024 forward.) These data points are reported in February of the second year after the reporting period ends, (i.e. the Placement rate for 2024 graduates was reported in Feb 2026.)
The Massage Therapy Program at Harper College has the following placement rates (graduates placed divided by graduates available for employment):
Overall Placement Rates
| Students Graduating in 2019 | 72.7% |
| Students Graduating in 2020 | 68.8%* |
| Students Graduating in 2021 | 66.7%* |
| Students Graduating in 2022 | 62.5%* |
| Students Graduating in 2023 | 90.9% |
| Students Graduating in 2024 | 83.3% |
* - Covid-related lockdowns severely depressed work opportunities for massage therapists but now that the world has opened back up, work opportunities are rebounding.
Important Notes: