Massage Therapist’s Complete Guide to Massage CEUs - Section 1: Basic Questions
Massage Therapist’s Complete Guide to Massage CEUs
Massage therapy continuing education (CEUs) is an important part of maintaining a professional massage therapy license and staying current in the field. However, massage therapy CEU requirements vary by state, including the number of hours required, renewal deadlines, approved course topics, and whether online courses are accepted. This complete guide to massage therapy CEUs explains how many CEUs massage therapists need, how often CEUs are required, where to find state-specific requirements, how NCBTMB continuing education works, and how to choose courses that meet your professional needs. Whether you are renewing your license, maintaining NCBTMB Board Certification, or looking for convenient online massage CEUs, this guide will help you understand your continuing education requirements and make informed decisions about your CE courses.
Section 1: Basic Questions About Massage Therapy CEUs
CEUs, or continuing education units, are a way of documenting education that massage therapists complete after their initial professional training.
Continuing education helps massage therapists maintain and expand their knowledge, develop professional skills, and stay current with changes in the massage therapy profession.
Depending on the state and licensing authority, continuing education may be required to maintain an active massage therapy license. CE courses can cover topics such as massage techniques, anatomy and physiology, pathology, ethics, professional boundaries, laws and regulations, client communication, assessment, business practices, and other subjects related to professional massage therapy practice.
The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) explains that continuing education is part of demonstrating ongoing professional competence for licensed massage therapists.
We are an NCBTMB Approved Provider, provider number 409296-00. View our courses here.
CEU stands for Continuing Education Unit.
The term CEU is commonly used when talking about professional continuing education. However, massage therapy licensing boards may use different terminology, including continuing education hours (CE hours), continuing education credits, or continuing competency hours.
It is important to understand that the terminology and calculation of continuing education can vary depending on the licensing authority. When determining how many hours you need for license renewal, always follow the terminology and requirements used by your state licensing board.
For massage therapists, you may see the terms CEUs, CE hours, and continuing education used interchangeably in everyday conversation, even though individual regulatory organizations may use different terminology.
Continuing education is education that massage therapists complete after their initial massage therapy education to maintain and develop their professional knowledge and skills, as well as to renew their license.
Continuing education courses may address subjects such as:
- Anatomy and physiology
- Kinesiology
- Massage techniques and applications
- Pathology and health conditions
- Client assessment
- Professional ethics and Boundaries
- Laws and regulations
- Communication and professionalism
- Record keeping
- Business practices
- Research literacy
- Professional self-care
NCBTMB identifies a variety of subjects as acceptable continuing education content, including professional communication, laws and business practices, professionalism and ethics, assessment, research literacy, hygiene and infectious disease control, and scientific and clinical subjects.
Continuing education is different from the education required to initially become a massage therapist. Initial education prepares a person to enter the profession, while continuing education provides ongoing learning after entering professional practice.
Massage therapists need continuing education to remain current with developments in their profession and, where required, to meet the continuing education requirements for maintaining their license or certification.
Massage therapy is an evolving profession. Continuing education can give therapists opportunities to learn about new information, techniques, professional standards, safety considerations, communication strategies, and other topics relevant to their work.
NCBTMB explains that continuing education helps professionals stay current with developments in their field, continue developing their skills, and support lifelong learning and continuous improvement. NCBTMB also states that continuing education requirements help assure the healthcare and consumer communities that massage therapists maintain high professional standards.
Continuing education can also help massage therapists pursue areas of professional interest. A therapist might choose courses in areas such as acupressure, essential oils, massage and specific health conditions, ethics, business, or professional communication.
The purpose of continuing education isn't simply to accumulate hours. Quality continuing education should help therapists continue developing the knowledge and skills needed for safe, ethical, and professional practice.
Are CEUs required to renew a massage therapy license?
In many states, yes. However, the exact requirements depend on the state where you are licensed.
Massage therapy licensing requirements are established by individual states and jurisdictions, so there is no single CE requirement that applies to every massage therapist in the United States.
For that reason, massage therapists should always check the current requirements of the state licensing board that issued their license.
It is also important to understand that approval by an organization does not automatically guarantee that a course satisfies every state's licensing requirements. FSMTB specifically states that state regulatory boards determine whether continuing education meets their requirements for license renewal.
In states that allow, we provide state-specific course packages to help therapists find CE hours applicable to their renewal needs, but therapists should still verify their state's current requirements before completing courses. View our course packages here.
There is no single number of CEUs that every massage therapist needs.
The number of continuing education hours required depends on the state or jurisdiction where the therapist is licensed and the specific license or credential being renewed. The renewal periods also vary by state. Please visit our Approvals page for officially verified and most up-to-date information on your state board’s requirements.
Some professional certifications have separate continuing education requirements. For example, NCBTMB Board Certification currently requires 24 hours of continuing education from NCBTMB Approved Providers every two years, including 3 hours of ethics.
Before taking CE courses, determine:
- How many CE hours your state requires
- When those hours must be completed
- What subjects qualify
- Whether online or home-study courses are accepted
- Whether specific courses, such as ethics, are required
- Whether there are limits on particular types of CE
Your state's licensing board should be considered the final authority for your license renewal requirements.
How often do massage therapists need to complete CEUs?
The frequency of continuing education requirements depends on the licensing jurisdiction.
Many states require massage therapists to complete CE hours during a specific license renewal period. However, renewal periods vary. To view your state’s requirements, click here.
For example, Iowa currently lists 16 CE hours during a two-year renewal period, while Connecticut lists 24 CE hours during a four-year renewal period. Louisiana lists 12 CE hours during a one-year renewal period.
If you hold licenses in more than one state, don't assume that completing the requirements for one state automatically satisfies the requirements for another. The safest approach is to keep track of your license expiration date and determine your CE requirements well before your renewal deadline.
If you do not complete your required continuing education before your license renewal deadline, the consequences depend on the rules of your state licensing board.
Depending on the jurisdiction, you may face a late renewal process, additional fees, additional education requirements, reinstatement requirements, or other consequences. You should not assume that you can simply complete the missing CE hours after your license expires and continue practicing normally.
If your license expiration date is approaching and you are short on CE hours, contact your state licensing board immediately and ask what options are available.
It is also important to distinguish between state massage therapy licensure and NCBTMB Board Certification. They are separate credentials with separate requirements.
For NCBTMB Board Certification, renewals submitted after the expiration date are subject to late fees. NCBTMB also states that if a Board Certification has been expired for more than one year, the individual must apply for Board Certification again and take the Board Certification examination.
If you are close to your deadline, completing your required CE hours as early as possible is generally much safer than waiting until the last few days.
Our Approvals page has links and contact information for each state if you need to contact them.
Yes, you can generally take additional continuing education, but that does not necessarily mean the extra hours will count toward your next renewal period.
Additional education can be valuable even when it exceeds your state's minimum requirement. Massage therapists may choose additional courses to develop specialized knowledge, learn new techniques, explore professional interests, or maintain other credentials.
However, whether excess CE hours can be carried forward depends on the applicable licensing authority. Before taking extra courses specifically for future renewal credit, check your state's rules regarding CE carryover.
NCBTMB, for example, specifically states that continuing education cannot be used multiple times within or across renewal periods and cannot be carried over.
So if you need 24 hours for your NCBTMB renewal and complete 30 hours, you should not assume that the additional six hours will automatically count toward your next renewal period
It depends on the licensing board or credentialing organization. There is no universal rule that allows massage therapy CE hours to be carried over from one renewal period to another.
Some jurisdictions may allow certain excess hours to be carried forward, while others do not. Because the rules differ, massage therapists should check their state licensing requirements before assuming that extra CE will transfer to the next renewal period.
NCBTMB does not allow CE to be carried over between Board Certification renewal periods. NCBTMB states that CE cannot be used multiple times within or across renewal periods and cannot be carried over.
This is one reason it is important to keep accurate records of when each course was completed.
Example: Suppose your licensing board requires 20 CE hours during a two-year renewal period. You complete 25 hours.
You should not automatically assume that the extra five hours will count toward your next renewal. Whether they do depends on the rules of your licensing jurisdiction.
Always check your state's current CE regulations before relying on carryover hours.
Generally, CE hours used for a renewal must meet the timing requirements established by the applicable licensing board. Many licensing authorities require CE hours to be completed within the specific renewal period for which they are being used. However, the exact rules vary by jurisdiction.
NCBTMB provides a clear example of this requirement. NCBTMB requires Board Certificants to complete their 24 hours of continuing education within their eligible two-year renewal period. NCBTMB also states that CE cannot be used multiple times or carried over between renewal periods.
This means that completing a course during a previous renewal period does not automatically mean you can use it again for your current renewal.
Keep track of your completion dates
When completing a CE course, keep your certificate of completion and record:
- Course title
- Provider name
- Number of CE hours
- Completion date
- Provider or approval number
- Course approval information, when applicable
Keeping these records organized can make license renewal much easier and can help if your licensing board asks you to provide proof of continuing education.