There are many types of massage schools. The type of massage school you go to does not matter much as they all will provide a solid education.
Career Training Institutes are schools that also offer other vocational training such as medical and dental assisting or other health care programs. They are usually accredited by U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agencies, and are either privately held or publicly traded companies. They usually have a higher number of students enrolled at any one time and offer lower tuition rates.
College Programs are usually at community colleges or technical colleges and may offer an associates degree in massage therapy. They are regionally accredited programs. These schools usually have the lowest rates, the lowest graduation rates and the lowest loan repayment rates according to Martha Menard in her study and article Choose Wisely: The quality of massage education in the US.
Corporate Massage schools are large corporate owned massage schools that are usually chains of massage schools. Many of them purchased smaller proprietary massage schools in the late 1990’s – early 2000’s to build their network of schools. They are usually accredited U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agencies. They usually have a large number of students, have the highest cost, highest loan rates and lowest repayment rates according to Martha Menard in her study and article Choose Wisely: The quality of massage education in the US.
Nonprofit massage schools are massage school programs whose organization is incorporated as a nonprofit entity. Nonprofit entities one that qualifies for tax-exempt status by the IRS because its mission and purpose are to further a social cause and provide a public benefit. None of the organization’s net profits from donations, membership fees, fundraising, or any other business activity will be used to pay a specific individual.
Proprietary Massage Schools are schools that are usually owned by an individual who is often a massage therapist or a very interested party. They are usually smaller in nature and cater to smaller class sizes and pay more attention to various learning styles. They usually have a higher number of teachers to students ratio to give students more attention.
Public Massage School are school programs offered through the public education system/school district.