Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Massage Therapists
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at National University of Health Sciences, Moraine Valley Community College, College of DuPage, and Joliet Junior College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Morton College, South Suburban College, and Waubonsee Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider John A Logan College, Rend Lake College, Shawnee Community College, and South Suburban College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Black Hawk, Shawnee Community College, Lewis and Clark Community College, and Southeastern Illinois College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of National University of Health Sciences.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at National University of Health Sciences.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Rockord Career College • Rockford, IL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2009)
• 5/2/2011
"The program is career limiting. It is also relatively expensive. I found alternatives that would have been less expensive and better career wise."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would not recommend this field. Instead, I would advise one to consider chiropractic. Programs a bit longer, but the field is easier to find work in. I also think there is too much misperception of what a massage therapist does. |
| Program Reputation | 1 | It is not well known. My credits won't transfer to a traditional school. |
| Program Quality | 2 | The school I attended was expensive and left me in debt. The program is not well respected so I am having difficulty finding work as a massage therapist. |
| Instruction | 2 | The program was very disorganized and expensive. I could have saved money by going to a traditional community college. |
| How Difficult | 7 | It was a tough program academically. But the teachers were flexible with deadlines. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was mostly book work. But we did get good clinical exposure with the required rotations. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | The school was very flexible with exam schedules. If we weren't ready, we could ask for extensions that were never denied. The school caters to working adults. I'll give it that. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | The school does not have extensive resources. The resources it does have are adequate. I found myself having to use the resources of the local community college. |
| Social Life | 2 | There were really no social events. Being one of the few males there, however, I got a lot of attention. I'll leave it at that! |
| Placement Services | 1 | It's been two years and I cannot find work in this area as a massage therapist. The others in my class are in the same boat. I feel like the school misinformed us. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | There were only three of us in my class. I do not know anyone else who went through the program. |
Olympia College • Burr Ridge, IL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2006)
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Although I don't do it full time I love doing it and would recommend someone that has a interest in massage to go for it. It was a great school and the program didn't take years to complete. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | A lot of people I know have attended there and I haven't heard any complaints. |
| Program Quality | 9 | It was an awesome school. I would tell anyone to attend there. |
| Instruction | More than 5 years ago | |
| How Difficult | 3 | The technique was easy for me because I was always good at it. Its come naturally to me. The technical aspects, however, were pretty challenging. It took a lot of studying. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The class was split into two parts. First we learned with books in the classroom and then we learned hands on techniques in the lab. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They have morning and night classes. I was able to work and attend school. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | We had all kinds of learning tools. We had classrooms, a laboratory, and a resource center. |
| Social Life | 10 | We had a class of about 25. It was strictly a learning environment made up of people that all had the same interests. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They have all types of job resources. They also have staff on hand just for job placement help. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | They assist with job placement. |
College Of DuPage In Association With Wellness And Massage Training Institute • Woodridge, IL
Studying Massage Therapy (completion in 2002)
• 7/14/2011
"I love massage. I love what I do. And I enjoyed my experience at WMTI."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | There are so many new programs around. I would recommend doing a lot of research to find a school that is right for them. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I used to hear that this therapist or that therapist had trained there, but not as much anymore. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I felt the school that I attended offered what we referred to as 'a wide variety to have in your bag.” I attended the Swedish program but had many opportunities to learn a little from all different modalities. |
| Instruction | 10 | All of our instructors were great. They were hands on and very open to explaining any questions that came up. |
| How Difficult | 5 | This was the first time I felt adequate in learning. I discovered what a hands on learner I was and this help immensely in my book work. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Again, very hands on. This made the book work so much easier. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I worked a full time job and received my associate's at night. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Again, at the time I went this school was in association with the community college. On site the rooms and facilities were what we needed. There were no computers. Study groups were always easy to assemble. |
| Social Life | 3 | There was none of that. |
| Placement Services | 7 | When I attended there was a job book that had possible job opportunities in it. It was never really up to date. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | Unfortunately, I used to take classes to maintain CEUs. I had a refund problem with one of those classes and never heard from them again. |
MTI Midwest Technical Institute • Springfield, IL
Studying Massage Therapist (completion in 2011)
• 2/4/2012
"I would love to attend MTI for other courses. I loved working with the staff."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, I definitely would. It is inexpensive compared to other school and very convenient in terms of fitting the classes into your schedule. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | This is a great school, and I have never heard any complaints from students. The only complaints that I hear come from students who give up. |
| Program Quality | 10 | This is a great school - the instructors are great and very helpful. I love the flexible schedule. |
| Instruction | 8 | I am not the fastest learner. I struggled a little bit with keeping up at times. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The program was very straight forward. At times it was a little boring and repetitious. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Half of the time we study with books or in the computer lab. The other half is hands on, which can be very enjoyable. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The schedule is amazingly flexible. The schedule is much more flexible than Lincoln Land Community College. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | I feel that we need more space at MTI. We tend to be overcrowded in the library at times. |
| Social Life | 3 | I am not the most sociable person. I really would prefer going to school online, but being a massage therapist requires hands on learning. |
| Placement Services | 5 | It seems to me that the career service department isn't the best because they are under staffed. I have to sit there for quite some time before anyone helps me. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | Our school has a great support system. I never struggled with getting the help I needed and questions answered. |
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