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| Step 1: Is Massage Right for Me?  Step 2: Get Certified Step 3: Massage Jobs Step 4: Launch Your Business
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Massage Therapy Degree or Diploma?Choosing the right certification can make all the difference to a massage therapist's career. Check out what our readers have to say about the pros and cons of a massage therapy degree as compared to a diploma/certificate. First...the Massage Therapy DegreeA massage therapy degree has many advantages over a diploma/certificate. A degree course covers the subject of massage therapy in depth and from all possible angles – anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, pathology, nutrition, etc. Moreover, massage colleges scrutinize applications to determine if a student really has it in him (caring attitude towards others, dexterous hands, patience, etc.) to become a quality massage therapist. This could save inapt students a lot of time and money. Imagine realizing midway that massage therapy is not really your cup of tea!
A massage therapy degree makes a massage therapist more marketable to employers because the therapist knows more and has practiced massage therapy at clinics during his internship for a longer duration. A degree enables him to tackle complex massage situations in settings such as hospitals and high-tech spas. A therapist holding a massage therapy degree can, therefore, expect to land a job faster and start with a higher salary than one holding a diploma/certificate. A massage therapy degree readies a student for business too. A quality massage college will coach a degree student on how to set up a massage therapy business, obtain finances for running the show, and retain clients as well. In addition, quality massage colleges provide internship programs and mentor programs supervised by experts. It thus becomes easier for a fresh graduate with a massage therapy degree to set up his own business – he is ready not just to open shop, but even to run it well and make a huge success out of it. In fact, statistics show that majority of the massage therapy degree holders run their own massage therapy business. The only drawback of a massage therapy degree is that it costs much more and takes much more time to obtain than a diploma/certificate. But in the long run these might not be significant factors. Compared to... the Massage therapy Diploma
A diploma/certificate course is also way cheaper than a degree course – another important factor for a needy student who wants to take up a job and start earning fast. With hands-on experience in a job, a good student would sooner or later be able to learn what he missed learning from a degree course. Since the selection criteria for a massage diploma course are not very rigid, a genuine aspiring student who for some reason could not get admission into a degree program can get into a diploma course provided he is backed by good basic education.
A certificate course in massage therapy is of still shorter duration (some only for a week or two) is ideal for someone who is a massage hobbyist or wants to learn just the basics of massage therapy without getting deeper into it. This type of course is not suitable preparation for massage licensing and employment.
However, diploma and certificate courses have their own limitations. These courses will not enable a student to transfer to a university for a higher degree. A diploma's curriculum is not as rich as that of a degree course. Consequently, a diploma student cannot be expected to have the level of expertise a degree offers, and a certificate student even less. A massage therapist with a diploma cannot, therefore, expect to draw the starting high salary that a massage therapy degree holder commands. Moreover, clients and employers prefer massage therapists with degrees to those with diplomas or certificates. In conclusion, if one seriously wants to pursue massage therapy as a career or turn it into a moneymaking business, then he must invest the initial time and money, and opt for a degree course rather than a diploma/certificate course.
What choice did you make? Why did you choose a massage degree or diploma? Would you do anything differently? Massage Diploma or Degree DiscussionsSee what other massage therapists are saying about the decision to pursue a massage degree or a massage diploma.
Massage as a career
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Massage Certificate / Diploma
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Massage Diplomas are great
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Degree, Degree, Degree!
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Massage Degrees Don't Matter
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Flexibility of a Massage degree
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Massage Experience Counts
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Massage Therapy Degree is Better
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A massage therapy degree also enables a student to transfer to a university if he wants to study further for a higher degree. And we all know that a degree is far more prestigious than a massage therapy diploma/certificate. 
The most advantageous features of a massage therapy diploma/certificate course are the time and cost factors. A student can finish a reasonably good massage therapy diploma course in as little as ten months. This saved time can provide the much-needed head start a desperate student may be looking for. The diploma allows you to turn your training into income much quicker that a degree.
Even though a massage diploma course is for a much shorter duration, it does touch upon all the important subjects covered by a degree course including the in-vogue massage techniques, such as on-site chair relaxation massage for corporate clients. Moreover, a quality massage college will have an expert faculty and may provide internship/mentor programs even for diploma course students. 