The problem in looking for a school that offers massage therapy courses is that if it’s a large school with a few campuses spread out in the region, not all of its campuses offer massage therapy as a program. Or you learn that the campus which offers it is too far from where you live. If you live in Santa Barbara, California, count yourself lucky. We did some research and came upon the Santa Barbara Business College in California. It has five locations and all five locations offer massage therapy classes!
The Santa Barbara Business (SBB) College is featured in our massage schools guide so we won’t repeat what has already been said, but you may be interested to know that it offers six programs, one of which is Wellness. Massage Therapy and Fitness Training fall under the school’s Wellness Program. SBB has five locations – Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Bakersfield, Palm Desert and Ventura. Each of these campuses offers massage therapy training that prepares you for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Body Work (NCTMB). Each location is equipped with professional spa-like wellness studios. The Palm Desert location recently constructed a building specifically for its Wellness Program.
One of the SBB’s articles online is “you do the studying, SBB will work with Uncle Sam to help pay your tuition.” This is a plus feature because student applicants often worry about their financial capability to fund the entire course. At SBB, this is directly addressed. It says that in the state of California, the post-9/11 GI Bill will provide $250.00 for every credit hour you sign up for. Not only that, the Bill provides more than $2,000 in tuition fees for each school term. SBB also says that this entitlement can be transferred to your spouse and dependents.
And then there’s the Yellow Ribbon Program which SBB participates in. This program will cover what can’t be covered in the 9/11 GI Bill. The Yellow Ribbon Program – through the Department of Veterans Affairs – will pay up to 50% of what the Post 9/11 GI Bill does not cover. Another piece of good news: SBB may waive the other 50%, but certain conditions may apply. This should serve as a strong incentive – or important criteria – for you when looking for a massage school in California.
When we visited their web site, the impression we got was “maybe it is possible to obtain a massage therapy education with little or no funds.” At least, the SBB makes it clear that there are sufficiently generous arrangements to entice an aspiring massage therapist. If you live in Santa Barbara and you want to get a massage therapy education, SBB is certainly worth looking into.
© 2012 Massage Schools Guide