The job requires a balance of academic and technical knowledge, clinical skills, manual dexterity, sensitivity and awareness. You want to have a sincere desire to help others, along with a commitment to the time, energy and focus necessary for the training process in order to become a solid practitioner.

With a certificate, you will be prepared to enter the healthcare profession as a massage therapist in settings that include:

• Chiropractic or medical offices
• Cruise ships
• Health clubs or fitness centers
• Health spas and resorts
• Nursing homes
• Private or group massage practices
• Physical therapy centers
• Sports medicine facilities

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Massage Therapy is a healing art, as well as a science. It requires a balance of academic and technical knowledge, clinical skills, manual dexterity, sensitivity and awareness. As you go through the training, you are required to act as both a client for 50% of the time and as a massage therapist for 50% of the time.

Our program is 600-hours of hands-on training and will prepare you to:

• Have a working knowledge of the structure and function of the human body and how it is affected by massage
• Take a client health history and determine an appropriate course of massage therapy treatment
• Perform relaxation massage
• Perform therapeutic massage
• Communicate effectively with clients and other healthcare providers
• Behave in an ethical manner
• Take the State Licensing Exam for Therapeutic Massage

Often, you are involved in community events, such as Chocolate Fest and Woofstock, to perform chair massages.
Prior to enrolling in the program, you must obtain the following clearance requirements at your own expense:

• Two-step PPD (Turberlin skin test)
• Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Background Check
• FBI check if you have not lived in Pennsylvania for the past two consecutive years

Lastly, our program is presented in a web-enhanced format, which includes both in-class sessions along with required coursework through virtual learning.

• View summaries of our noncredit courses at HACC by browsing our schedule.

• Review our program guide (pdf) to view a list of required courses, recommended course sequencing and program competencies.

Completion of this 600-hour certificate, state licensing exam and employment in the massage therapy field may allow transfer up to 30-credits towards HACC's Health Science AAS program.

You may complete this program at our Harrisburg Campus through on-campus/in-person instruction.

Yes! Through the HACC Foundation, there are scholarships available. Please visit hacc.edu/scholarships for details and deadlines.

 

We enroll every Fall for the January part-time program and every Spring/Summer for the September program.

Information sessions are required prior to registration. Please register at upcoming events at www.hacc.edu/massage

We are excited to connect with you and answer your questions. Attend the next information session/open house and register for upcoming events at www.hacc.edu/massage. For more information, please email Mtherapy@hacc.edu