3.2 Massage Therapy Instructor Qualifications and Renewal

Who must hold the instructor license

A massage therapy instructor is a licensed massage therapist who teaches approved massage therapy or soft-tissue manipulation to students and holds the department's instructor license. Section 117.40 assigns the licensed instructor the required 125 hours of Swedish massage therapy, any other instruction in massage techniques or manipulation of soft tissue, and the internship portion of the program.

That rule does not require every anatomy lecturer or business instructor to become an LMT. It distinguishes hands-on technique and internship instruction from other subjects. A person teaching only a non-technique subject can qualify under the education-and-experience alternatives in section 117.40(c).

Instructor applicant requirements

To qualify for the massage therapy instructor license, a person must:

1. already be a licensed massage therapist;
2. have a high-school diploma, a GED, or an accredited college or university transcript showing at least 12 completed semester hours;
3. give a statement of assurance of at least one year engaged in massage practice and 500 hours of hands-on experience, excluding internship hours;
4. complete a 30-hour course on teaching adult learners;
5. submit the department-approved application;
6. pay the section 117.100 fee; and
7. pass the required criminal-history background check.

These requirements are cumulative. For example, 500 hours of hands-on work does not replace the 30-hour adult-learning course. The one year and 500 hands-on hours form one experience requirement, and student internship hours do not count toward the 500.

The high-school or college-transcript requirement belongs here, not in the initial therapist-license checklist. This movement of requirements between license types is a common exam trap.

Teachers of other subjects

A person teaching a course other than massage technique or manipulation of soft tissue does not need the massage therapy instructor license when the person meets one of the listed subject-qualification routes. The rule recognizes:

• a bachelor's or higher degree with nine semester or twelve quarter hours in the subject, or at least one year of recent practical experience in it;
• an associate degree combined with the specified related credits and recent experience, or two years of recent practical experience; or
• a high-school diploma, GED, or relevant postsecondary proof plus at least two years of practical experience within the prior ten years in the subject.

The alternatives tie the teacher's background to the subject taught. A bookkeeper may qualify to teach business under an applicable route but may not use that qualification to supervise hands-on Swedish massage.

Instructors teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation or first aid must hold instructor certification from the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, National Safety Council, or another provider whose curriculum complies with the nationally accepted guidelines established by those organizations.

Term and renewal

An instructor license is valid for two years. Renewal requires a department-approved renewal application and the applicable fee. Section 117.100 sets both the initial instructor application fee and the two-year instructor renewal fee at $100.

Section 117.41 does not state a separate instructor continuing-education total. TDLR's current CE page explains that an instructor must keep the underlying therapist license current and meet the therapist's 12-hour requirement for that credential; there is no additional instructor-specific CE quota. The two credentials should not be merged: expiration or nonrenewal of the therapist license undermines the premise that the person is a licensed massage therapist.

Teaching allocation scenarios

Swedish laboratory: must be instructed by a licensed massage therapy instructor.

Internship clinic: must have the licensed massage therapy instructor available on the school premises and immediately available during hands-on work.

Anatomy lecture: can be taught by a person qualifying under the non-technique subject routes; an instructor license is not automatically required.

CPR course: the presenter needs the rule's qualifying CPR instructor certification.

Experienced LMT without adult-learning course: not yet eligible for instructor licensure even if the practitioner has many clinical hours.

Former internship student: the internship hours do not count toward the 500 hands-on hours used to qualify as an instructor.

Professional boundaries at school

The same sexual-misconduct and no-compensation principles protect the educational setting. A licensee may not permit sexual contact on school premises, and students may not be compensated for public services. Schools must accurately account for hours; an instructor cannot approve hours the student did not earn. Misstating hours can expose the school, instructor, and applicant to discipline for false material submitted to TDLR.

Fast comparison

A therapist license authorizes compensated massage practice. A student permit authorizes only program-prescribed student practice. An instructor license, held in addition to the therapist license, authorizes the specialized instructional role. Always identify the credential named in the question before applying its prerequisites.