Placement Outcomes

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 is 65%. These data points are reported in February of the second year after the reporting period ends, (i.e. the Placement rate for 2023 graduates was reported in Feb 2025.)

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%

* - 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:

This information is updated annually by the end of February two-years after the end of the reporting period.
Graduating from any massage therapy program is not a guarantee of state licensure or employment.
Considering a graduate to be "Placed" requires that the graduate notifies the school of their employment status. If they do not notify us of their status, they count against the Placement rate for the program.