FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications (304) 696-7153
 

Marshall Community College, Mountain State School of Massage
sign articulation agreement  

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The Marshall Community and Technical College and the Mountain State School of Massage signed an articulation agreement today in a ceremony on Marshall’s Huntington campus.

The agreement will allow students and alumni of Mountain State School of Massage to take courses in general education from Marshall Community and Technical College that will lead to an Associate in Applied Science degree.

An articulation agreement occurs when the college evaluates and recognizes postsecondary training that is done by an agency other than a traditional higher education entity (college) and that training has been determined to have the academic rigor of sufficient quality to be equivalent to college-level coursework.

“Today’s signing ceremony is possible because of the hard work of Janet Smith, MC & TC Allied Health Division, and Vanessa Hendley, assistant director from Mountain State School of Massage,” said  Steve Brown, MC&TC’s associate dean and director of Off-Campus Programs.  “For months they worked together to review the Massage Therapy learning outcomes and to have the program of study approved.”

The first established massage therapy school in West Virginia, Mountain State School of Massage, which is located in Charleston, was founded in 1995 and is accredited by the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA). 

The school is permitted by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission to operate as a postsecondary school providing education for individuals pursuing massage therapy as a career.  MSSM also is approved by the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education provider.

“Mountain State School of Massage has a training program and they are eager to have their students earn a degree,” Brown said. “A degree is not required to work in the field of massage therapy but this agreement provides students an opportunity to fulfill their educational goals as lifelong learners.”

The MSSM program is a rigorous one, with multiple educational options to take classes, according to Brown.  “They have a full daytime program as well as weekend and night programs,” he said. “Once someone completes their massage therapy training, we will accept their certificate and award equivalent college credits, and then the student will need to complete our college’s general education components to earn their degree.”

Those students who have previously completed the Mountain State School of Massage training programs are eligible to take college courses to complete the degree as well as currently enrolled students, Brown said.  “It’s a very flexible educational program, which provides educational opportunities to students in our service area,” he added.               

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