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Running a Massage School in Maryland – Message Therapy, the requirements for massage therapy practice and education are overseen by the State Board of Massage Therapy Examiners, a division of the Maryland Department of Health.

If you want to open a massage therapy school in Maryland and running a Massage School in Maryland – Message Therapy.

So it must be approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

Your school also will need to accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) or another accrediting agency recognized by the US Department of Education.

In addition, your massage instructors must license or registered in the state of Maryland.

Obtaining Approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commission

The application process for obtaining approval for a private career school in Maryland is a two-part process.

First, you submit a proposed curriculum, school policies and school layout to the commission.

The second part requires you to make “substantial” expenditures for facilities, equipment, and hiring school personnel.

Both parts must be done before you can approve to operate your school.

Once your application is received, it is reviewed for completeness by a staff member.

It is then forwarded to the massage licensing board for review.

Once all issues are resolved, it is presented to the Secretary’s Advisory Council for review and its recommendation to the Secretary.

The Secretary of Higher Education makes the final determination as to the approval of the application.

According to the Higher Education Commission website, the entire process generally takes several months to complete.

The cost in fees is at least $300 for the application fee and a minimum of $2,500 for the Guaranty Student Tuition Fund payment.

Your application must submit both in a hard copy, organized in three-ring binders and on electronic media, such as a CD or memory stick.

Application – Running a Massage School in Maryland

Part 1:  In the first part of the application you will have to provide the following information:

• Name, address, telephone number and contact information for the proposed school;
• Background information for the school and the owner(s) including information on any affiliated schools already in existence;
• Type of ownership and supporting documents if it is a corporation, information about the owner if it is a sole proprietorship, documentation that the school’s name has been filed with the Maryland Department of Assessment and Taxation;
• Financial information: either (1) an irrevocable letter of credit or renewable performance bond sufficient to cover 100% of the tuition liability of the school OR (2) a financial statement reviewed by an independent Certified Public Accountant and an irrevocable letter of credit or renewable performance bond sufficient to cover 50% of the tuition liability of the school, unless the Secretary determines that financial conditions require a higher amount.
• If you collect your tuition in a single instalment you must choose item (1);

Massage Therapy – Running a Massage School in Maryland – Message Therapy

• Proposed programs and schedule options for those programs;
• Evidence of market demand for graduates of your program in Maryland;
• Curriculum information, including detailed daily lesson plans, a list of textbooks, the sequence of your courses, plans for working with multiple levels of students, a description of how and when you will test your students’ knowledge and skills, information on any internship/externship in your program;
• Two draft copies of your school catalogue, along with the Catalog Checklist for a Private Career School, to ensure your catalogue meets state standards;
• An overview of each proposed program: objectives, skills to acquire, occupations for which your graduates will qualify, hours of each course, hours of theory/lecture, hours of lab/practice, course descriptions, proposed school calendar, proposed student: teacher ratio;
• Entrance and graduation requirements, how you will track job placement of graduates (must track to maintain approval);
• Attendance and academic policies;
• Staffing: A list of all school faculty and staff, and also, a description of the minimum qualifications for instructors for each program;
• A list of equipment and other educational resources you will have:
• A description of your facility;
• Copies of documents and accompanying checklists: student enrollment contract, transcripts, permanent account cards, certificate of completion, advertising copy, and a plan for keeping your school alcohol and also,  drug-free;

MIST – Running a Massage School in Maryland

Part 2:  If not submitted at the same time as Part 1, Part 2 must submit within 6 months.

Part 2 of the application asks you for the following information:

• The maximum number of students to enrol in each program;
• A list of all instructors and what they will be teaching, and a Personnel Information Form for each staff or faculty member;
• A list of equipment and resources you have for each program;
• Identify the owner of the facility you will use and also, attach a copy of an executed lease for the facility, provide proof that your facility meets the fire, health, and also,  zoning department standards;
• Attach a description and a blueprint or drawing of the facility;
• Attach a certificate of general liability insurance for the school;
• And also, attach a certificate of worker’s compensation insurance for the school;
• A projection of the enrollment, income and expenses for the first year of operation;
• A payment into the Guaranty Student Tuition Fund (minimum $2500).

Obtaining Accreditation

Your school must accredit by one of the following agencies to meet the requirements of the Board of Massage Therapy Examiners:

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)

Accrediting Commission for Career Schools & Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT)

Council on Occupational Education (COE)

Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges & Schools (ACICS)

Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA)

National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS)

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education

Each accrediting agency has different requirements.

In most cases, you have to open the school first before beginning the accreditation process.

Some allow you to begin the process once you have students enrolled.

Others require that you have been in business for more than two years and/or have graduated students before beginning the accreditation process.

The cost of accreditation is steep, with the total fees from application to accreditation ranging from around $8,000 to more than $28,000.

In addition, significant time and effort are needed to complete the process.

So the time from application to accreditation may range from 18 months to 2 years or more.

During that time you can expect to attend mandatory workshops, have your books audited, have your school inspected, and also, possibly make revisions to comply with accreditation standards.

Board of Massage Therapy Examiners Curriculum Requirements

The Maryland board requires that your school provide 600 hours of supervised instruction.

The instruction must include the following topics:

• Anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology;
• Massage theory, technique, and practice;
• Contraindications to massage therapy;
• Professional ethics.

Summary – Running a Massage School in Maryland – Message Therapy

To open a private massage school in Maryland, you must offer a program that has 600 hours of supervised instruction.

The program must approve by the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

That approval process will take several months and the fees will be a minimum of $2800.

After approval to open the school is obtained, you will have to get the school accredited by an approved accreditation agency for massage programs.

That process may take 18 months to 2 years and can cost between $8000 and $28,000, depending on the agency.

Links

Maryland Board of Massage Therapy Examiners

Maryland Higher Education Commission:

http://www.mhec.state.md.us/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.mhec.state.md.us/institutions_training/Pages/career/pcs/apprfactsheet.aspx

Approved Accrediting Agencies:

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)

Accrediting Commission for Career Schools & Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT)

Running a Massage School in Maryland

Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges & Schools (ACICS)

Council on Occupational Education (COE)

Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA)

National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS)

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education