The Program

The 800-hour (66.2 academic credit) Massage Therapy Program meets all COMTA accreditation requirements and is designed to give students an excellent education in the fundamentals of therapeutic massage and bodywork, preparing them to take the state board exams for which they qualify, obtain a massage license, and start practice. The program includes two elective courses that provide skills and knowledge to enhance your ability to succeed as a professional massage therapist

The Schedule

East West College massage training programs begin four times each year in January, April, July and October. Academic terms are eleven weeks in length with a two-week break between terms. Most courses meet two times per week for approximately three hours per class session. Two courses (Kinesiology and Anatomy/Physiology) meet for an additional day per week to provide extra time to learn these difficult subjects at a reasonable pace. Day classes start at 8:00 am, 11:30 am and 3:00 pm. Evening classes start at 6:30 pm.

Learning massage therapy and its related sciences requires intensive study and practice. Because of this, East West College programs are designed to allow the time to integrate and absorb the material. The programs are offered on a full- or part-time basis. Students with academic difficulties or those who are working in addition to going to college should consider enrolling in one of our part-time schedules, taking fewer courses per term and completing their programs over a longer period of time. The East West College Admissions Representative can help you determine which pace is best for you. To help plan for success, students should expect to spend at least two hours out of class studying and performing massage assignments for every hour they spend in class.

The Content

At East West College, massage training programs are designed to give students a thorough education in the following areas:

Science

• Anatomy

• Physiology

• Kinesiology

• Pathology

Massage Technique

• Swedish Massage

• Non-Swedish Bodywork

• Movement Therapy

• Body Mechanics

• Specialty Techniques

Hydrotherapy

• Using hot and cold water to support massage and movement therapy

Clinical Practices

• Student Clinic

• Keeping good records

• Maintaining an ethical practice

• Learning basic business practices

• Knowing state and local massage laws and regulations

• Developing skill interacting with clients

Elective Courses

East West College's elective courses are designed to allow students to explore a variety of massage and bodywork modalities and to enhance students' ability to perform massage therapy at a high level. Students choose two of the following courses: Japanese Massage (Shiatsu), Chinese Massage (Tui Na), and Thai Massage.Deep Tissue Massage, Myofascial Techniques, Spa Therapies and Trigger Point Therapy.