Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA)

The Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation is a relatively new organization in the field of educational program accreditation. The organization's roots were planted in the early 1980's. By 1989, the Commission on Massage Training Approval/Accreditation was founded to create standards for educational programs that offered massage therapy and bodywork training. The program changed its name to the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation, or COMTA a few years later. Official U.S. Department of Education recognition of COMTA was granted in 2002.

The agency itself is designed to improve the quality of education students in the fields of massage therapy and bodywork receive. COMTA's aim is to ensure that graduates attain proper training and that schools keep up with the latest developments in this fast-changing medical-related field.

The accreditation process is offered to massage programs, degree programs and more that meet the strict educational requirements of the agency. This independent accrediting agency is considered national in America, but it has also granted accreditation to schools in Canada and the West Indies. To obtain COMTA approval, massage therapy programs must undergo a strict review process of their courses, administration, and more. The voluntary process is designed to identify and recognize those programs that achieve and can maintain a level of performance that fits the standards set forth by COMTA.

For accreditation consideration, programs must submit to a five-step process that starts with an initial application. School representatives must then attend an accreditation workshop, complete a self-study, submit to an on-site visit and wait for the final COMTA review. The entire process is designed to determine whether a program meets COMTA's strict standard requirements or not. Final decisions on accreditation rest in the hands of COMTA's commissioners.

Campus-Based Colleges Accredited by COMTA

For more information and a complete list of schools accredited by COMTA, visit http://www.comta.org/.