Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences

Our Massage Therapy Program is available in 5-semester (20-month), 6-semester (24-month), and 8-semester (32-month) schedules. Massage Therapy classes are available in the morning, afternoon, and evening/Saturday, so you can begin working in your new career in as little as 20 months.

Swedish Institute was founded in 1916 as the Swedish Institute of Physiotherapy and is
the oldest continuously operating massage therapy institution in the country. The founder
of the school, Theodore Melander, had a vision of massage therapy as an aspect of a
holistic approach to wellness generally and he developed a unique curriculum that
included medical gymnastics, dietetics, exercise techniques and physiotherapy.
Graduates of the program received a diploma in Physiotherapy and practiced in hospitals,
clinics and in private practice as Physiotherapists.
In 1954, Lillian Phillips, then director and owner, focused the curriculum exclusively on
massage therapy, which was increasingly becoming a recognized profession. At that time
the title “massage therapist” was unheard of and graduates were known as masseuse and
masseur. The City of New York required the masseuse/masseur to register and they were
granted a city license to practice. Ultimately, licensure and curriculum regulations were
incorporated into the New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. In
1998, the Institute was awarded authorization to grant an Associate in Occupational
Studies (AOS) degree to graduates of the Massage Therapy program.
In 1996, the Institute moved deeper into the world of holistic and integrative medicine by
opening an Acupuncture program with a focus on Classical Chinese Medicine. In 2003,
the Institute received approval from the State Education Department to award the Master
of Science Degree (MS) in this field. The Acupuncture Program has since been integrated
into the curriculum of Swedish Institute’s sister school, the New York City campus of
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.
The past 20 years have seen the Institute grow from a well-known school of Massage
Therapy offering a 692 clock-hour certificate program into a multi-purpose institution with
authority from the New York State Education Department to grant degrees at the
associate, baccalaureate and master’s levels. The college continues to offer its
long-standing program in Massage Therapy and has since added degree programs in
Advanced Personal Training (inactive effective August 2020), Clinical and Administrative
Medical Assistant, Surgical Technologist, and Nursing. In addition, the college now offers
certificate programs in Medical Billing and Coding, Clinical Medical Assistant., and Central
Service Processing Technician.

We consider our integrated approach, involving both Western and Eastern theory and
techniques, to be unique. Students learn classical Swedish massage and then add Five
Element Shiatsu. They will learn advanced applications in Western techniques (such as sports
massage, trigger point therapy and myofascial release) and will be introduced to
complementary modalities such as Polarity, Tuina, and reflexology. In-depth preparation in
anatomy and physiology, massage-related pathology, neurology, and kinesiology provide the
foundation for effective client assessment and treatment. Coursework in the ethics of client
care, communication skills and client safety ensure that practice will be at a high professional
level.