Somatic Bodywork at Centura College-Chesapeake

Earning $14,301 one year after completing this certificate means graduates are bringing home roughly $1,200 per month—barely enough to cover basic living expenses, let alone student loan payments. This program lands in the 10th percentile among Virginia's somatic bodywork programs, meaning nine out of ten similar programs in the state produce better earnings outcomes. Compare this to top Virginia programs like ECPI University ($27,930) or Northern Virginia School of Therapeutic Massage ($27,082), which generate nearly double the earnings for similar training.

The $8,021 debt load might seem manageable in isolation, but it represents more than half of first-year earnings—a ratio that typically signals financial stress for graduates. Most bodywork practitioners work as independent contractors building their client base, which explains why 84% of students here receive Pell grants yet struggle to achieve viable post-graduation incomes. The pattern is particularly concerning given that the state's median for this certificate is $22,308, suggesting the issue isn't the field itself but rather this program's specific outcomes.

For families considering massage therapy training, this certificate doesn't appear to deliver competitive preparation. The earnings gap between this program and Virginia's median is $8,000 annually—money that would more than cover the difference in tuition costs at better-performing schools.