November 2005

COMTA accredits Northwestern’s school of massage

Northwestern Health Sciences University’s School of Massage Therapy recently became the first massage therapy school in Minnesota to receive accreditation from the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA). The accreditation cycle will be three years, says Dale Healey, DC, dean of the School of Massage Therapy.

COMTA has granted accreditation to 75 massage therapy schools in the United States and Canada. The accreditation process is voluntary and is pursued by institutions for a number of reasons. According to Healey, some of those reasons include:

• Ability to offer federal financial aid to students;

• Demonstrate a level of commitment to quality to prospective students;

• For use as a method to indicate to employers and other constituents a commitment to high standards by the institution or program; and

• As a means to ensure quality assurance through adherence to the accreditation standards.

COMTA accreditation involves several steps including submitting an application; attending a pre-accreditation workshop; conducting a comprehensive self-study that looks at the performance of the school, its faculty, administration, students, graduates, and employers; and participating in a site visit conducted by a COMTA team who conduct interviews, observe classes, examine teaching records and education resources, and evaluate the program and institutional quality.

Source: Northwestern Health Sciences University, www.nwhealth.edu

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