Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation

As an accrediting group the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation, COMTA, strives to provide recognition through accreditation of high standards of education and reflection of the current and future tends within the areas of massage therapy and bodywork. COMTA is a non-profit organization that offers voluntary accreditation to schools and programs that wish to be considered as working well within the industry and educational standards set by the Commission. Information about COMTA can be found on their website http://www.comta.org/.

The first group that worked with monitoring massage therapy schools was American Massage Therapy Association's Council of Schools, which worked to ensure that a uniform standard of education was being provided to students entering into the field. This first program, started in 1982, branched into the current Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation in 1989 with approval through the Council on Post-Secondary Accreditation used as a way to monitor the programs. Eventually with the passing of the Higher Education Amendments in 1992, which limited funding to students only to those schools that were accredited through the United States Department of Education. COMTAA ( Commission on Massage Training Approval/ Accreditation was able to work towards developing a set of uniform standards that would meet all requirements to become an accrediting commission within the field. In 2002 COMTAA was officially changed to COMTA and was recognized by the United States Department of Education.

Like the accreditation schools themselves, COMTA has a five year accreditation cycle through the United States Department of Education. Currently COMTA is able to accredit schools of massage therapy that offer associate degrees and ongoing professional development and certificates. Like other agencies COMTA constantly monitors and amends their professional and educational standards for accreditation to reflect new research and trends within the industry. Panels are created that include professionals, faculty members, students and COMTA consultants to help develop and maintain standards that are effective in supporting student learning and ongoing improvement within the educational settings.

COMTA offers services with regards to support and consultation for schools attempting to become accredited as well as for individuals that are interested in the accreditation process. COMTA staff that attend and conduct the on-site evaluations are all professionals that have worked within the field of massage therapy and education, ensuring that the review is done by peers that understand the practical as well as educational challenges that face schools offering massage therapy programs and degrees.