Massage Therapy Diploma

Next program start dates:

Monday, December 4, 2023

Monday, January 8, 2024

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Interactive Classroom Environment

Instructors ensure students have access to additional support.

Meet Provincial Certification Standards

Upon graduation, students can apply to the association to be Registered Massage Therapists.

On-Campus Student Massage Clinic

Students get their required hours with first-hand experience on real clients in a real clinic

Diploma

Certificate

Massage Therapy Diploma (2200 Hours)

Duration

112 Weeks

Campus

Calgary

Offered

On-site / Online / Combination

Available

Varying Schedule

Massage Therapy Diploma

Program Overview

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Course Highlights
Career Opportunities
Salary Range
Information Kit
Readiness Quiz
Admission Requirements
Course Curriculum
Latest News

Massage Therapy Diploma Summary

Graduates of this two-year (112-week) high-caliber Massage Therapy Diploma Program gain the in-demand health sciences skills and knowledge required to become successful registered massage therapists.

Students of the massage therapy course get exposure through ABM College’s in-house massage student clinic where they perform practicum. The advanced massage therapy course teaches students how to assess clients and provide effective healing treatments. Our comprehensive Massage Therapy Diploma Program can be your gateway to building a rewarding career in the healthcare sector.

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HCA PLAR Student Guide

Massage Therapy Diploma Highlights

Massage therapists have gained importance for delivering effective patient rehabilitation services, making massage therapy one of the fastest-growing fields within the Canadian Health Care system. According to official data, graduates of ABM College's Massage Therapy Diploma program have a 100 percent employment rate.

Discover Key Features of the Massage Therapy Diploma Program:

Learn the nuances of massage therapy through a vigorous learning module.
Gain the hours needed to become eligible to apply to be a Registered Massage Therapist.
This blended learning makes the students qualified to explore career opportunities in various office settings.
Explore employment opportunities at massage therapy clinics, spa/yoga/fitness centers, physiotherapy clinics, chiropractic clinics, community health services, and more.
Apply your learning in real-work situations through practicum at ABM College’s massage student clinic.

Career Opportunities

Registered Massage Therapist
Independent Practitioner
Fitness/Sports Massage Therapist
Clinic Massage Therapist
Spa Massage Therapist

Salary Range

Massage Therapy Diploma Information Kit

This kit includes important details on the Massage Therapy Diploma program at ABM College.

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Is this program right for you?

Take our quick readiness quiz.

The fun online quiz will take you less than 5 minutes to complete and will help us understand your career goals and the kind of setting where you would be most comfortable working.

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Massage Therapist applying the skills she learned at ABM College to relieve a client's back pain at the Calgary Clinic

Admission Requirements

Standard Admission

1. Successful completion of Grade 12 or equivalent. 2. Passing score on the Wonderlic Scholastic Level Exam. 3. Passing score on the Accuplacer Test. 4. Successful interview with ABM College Admissions.

Mature Admission

1. Applicants must be out of high school for at least two years. 2. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age prior to admission. 3. Passing score on the Wonderlic Scholastic Level Exam. 4. Passing score on the Accuplacer Test. 5. Successful interview with ABM College Admissions.

Detailed & International Requirements

For any other program or region-specific requirements, please contact one of our Admissions Advisors. For International Students, please refer to the International Students Admission Requirements.

Domestic Detailed Admission Requirements

As a Massage Therapy student, I'm really enjoying my studies right now. I enjoy learning the anatomy and physiology, I enjoy learning the different kinds of strokes of massage to treat the body. As you learn the treatment, you start to have the knowledge on how to help other people through proper techniques.

Concepcion Pasay

Course Curriculum

1. Year One: Massage Theory & Practice 1

Course Description: Students learn Swedish massage techniques and their effects. Students learn how to drape and properly perform a full body massage. Students learn how Massage affects the different systems of the body. Students are able to understand and explain how massage therapy works. Students will understand the mechanical and physiological effects of massage.

2. Ethics

Course Description: Students study and learn important ethical standards for health professionals, as well as how to make ethical, safe, and professional decisions.

3. Clinical Massage Practicum

Course Description: Students begin their introduction to clinical work. Student therapists work under the supervision of a RMT to provide massage therapy to a variety of clientele in the community.

4. Anatomy & Physiology 1

Course Description: Students obtain an introduction to the human body and all of its systems. Students learn the body’s cellular level of organization and structure and function of the four tissues of the body, with an emphasis on skin, muscle, bone, and nerve.

5. Clinical Assessment 1

Course Description: Students learn basic assessments of the body, and how to do Active, Passive and Resisted range-of-motion testing. Students learn postural assessment, gait analysis, normal ranges of motion. Students are introduced to orthopedic specialized tests and how to complete them on the lower body.

6. Osteology, Myology and Palpation

Course Description: Students will learn osteology and myology together. Students begin with the bones, bone tissue, and bony landmarks. Students will learn all skeletal muscles of the body. With emphasis on origins, insertions, actions, and innervations. Bone and muscle physiology is also covered in this class.

7. Hydrotherapy

Course Description: Students will learn hydrotherapy and temperature therapy. Students will have a large practical component in this course. The use of heat and cold is used as a way to treat and control inflammation.

8. Anatomy & Physiology 2

Course Description: Students will learn the anatomical and physiological properties of the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. This course teaches students about blood, the heart, lungs, and blood vessels in detail and how they are related to massage therapy. This course also includes a detailed look at the lymphatic system and immune system.

9. Massage Theory & Practice 2

Course Description: Students will further their knowledge and skills in massage therapy. They will learn how to apply safe and effective massage treatments using advanced techniques. Students will also learn athletic massage, massage to specific muscle groups, and massage for special populations.

10. Pharmacology

Course Description: This course has been designed to provide students with a basic and clear understanding of pharmacology, in relation to massage therapy. Student therapists will learn the importance of understanding drug interactions, contraindications and effects drugs will have on a massage treatment.

11. Career Planning

Course Description: Students will learn the many career paths they may take as a massage therapist. Theory of clinical and spa settings, pay structure and expectations, and the difference between sub-contracting and employee status will be clearly explained. Students will engage in class discussion, and apply their knowledge to create resumes and obtain a desirable job. Students will learn how to present themselves in a competitive job market.

12. Clinical Outreach Practicum

Course Description: Students are given the opportunity to work on special populations, under the supervisor of an RMT in a variety of settings. Outreaches are carefully chosen to include a variety of events, including sports, hospital care and charity situations. Students are allowed equal opportunity to enroll in various Outreaches, and are required to reflect back on their experiences.

1. Year Two: Advanced Clinical Theory & Practice

Course Description: This course builds on all course materials from the first year of the massage therapy program. Students go beyond relaxation massage and move to a treatment management model of assessment and techniques specific to musculoskeletal conditions as well as pathological conditions.

2. Systems Anatomy 1

Course Description: This is the first of two systemic anatomy courses in the final year of study. In this course, students will acquire knowledge of the respiratory, digestive and urinary systems. Each system will be described in great detail, as well as their relation to massage therapy.

3. Systems Anatomy 2

Course Description: In this course, students will acquire knowledge of the reproductive and endocrine systems. These systems will be described in great detail, and their relation to massage therapy.

4. Business for the Massage Therapist

Course Description: Students are introduced to the basic concepts of small business and the laws governing the practice of Massage Therapy in Alberta. Topics include: Business structures, contracts, Marketing, Business planning and Accounting.

5. Clinical Assessment 2

Course Description: This course continues with the foundation training in the performance of clinical soft-tissue diagnostics and assessment techniques; including review of postural assessment, gait analysis, range of motion, and orthopaedic assessments.

6. Pathology

Course Description: Students will learn general and systemic pathology according to the scope of massage therapy. They will be examining major pathological conditions with reference to etiology, pathogenesis and clinical features. Students will learn how to safely and effectively treat both general and specific pathological conditions as permitted within the scope of massage therapy.

7. Clinical Massage Practicum 2

Course Description: Students continue their clinical work. Student therapists work under the supervision of a Registered Massage Therapist to provide massage therapy to a variety of clientele in the community.

8. Therapeutic Exercise

Course Description: Students discuss the effects of therapeutic exercise on the development of flexibility, endurance, and strength. This course is designed to build principles of therapeutic exercise, with a greater emphasis on commonly encountered conditions that can be managed with exercise.

9. Nutrition

Course Description: Students acquire the fundamental knowledge in integrating nutrition into massage therapy practice. Students will learn various dietary requirements for some common health related conditions and guidelines for the body’s optimal function.

10. Integrated Studies

Course Description: Students have the opportunity to refine their understanding of the techniques and theory learned. Learners will use critical thinking to decide which of their skills should be utilized with specific treatments. This course allows students to show their skills learned from content throughout the entire massage therapy program.

11. Neuroanatomy

Course Description: Students will learn the structure and function of central nervous system and peripheral nervous systems. Major nerves of the cervical, brachial, lumbar, and sacral plexuses are studied with respect to their origins, pathway, innervations.