Nirvana Massage Academy Policies
Transfer of Credit Policy
College and Massage Therapy Coursework: NMA may accept anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, medical terminology, and some business classes as transfer of credit. Requirements for all transfer of credit coursework:
No more than 40 clock hours will be given per three (3) semester credit hours
Student passed with a minimum 75%.
Cosmetology and Aesthetician Coursework: Arkansas Department of Health has given permission for massage therapy schools to give clock hours for cosmetology and aesthetician hours for massage therapy hours. Up to 100 clock hours may be transferred, if the coursework is applicable to the Massage Therapy curriculum.
Transfer credit requests must be accompanied by the following documentation:
official transcripts
a copy of the diploma, and
a school catalog or statement providing the course descriptions of each class completed.
Transfer credit is counted as both hours attempted and hours completed within the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. Transfer credit does not hold any qualitative points. Therefore, transfer credit is not included in the calculation of the grade point average for the purpose of determining a student CGPA or the CGPA requirement of the satisfactory academic progress.
NMA does not accept experiential learning or credit through examination as advance standing or transfer credit in its program.
Academic Policies
Attendance
The Massage Therapy Program course syllabus is designed to be completed in approximately six (6) months. This time is more than sufficient for achieving the required knowledge, skills, and competencies to complete the course and be qualified to take the test that is recognized by the Arkansas Department of Health Massage Therapy Section.
Students must finish within the maximum time frame (3 day, 25.5, 2 day, 26.5 weeks) according to the student’s enrollment status. This means you can have up to 8 days of excused absences. Anything after 8 days excused is an automatic unexcused absence unless you took a leave of absence.
It is recognized that reasons beyond the student's control may make it impossible for a student to attend class every day. When absences occur, the student should notify the school by phone or text as soon as possible on the day of the absence. Should a student miss class and not call in, he/she may be contacted by the school to identify any assistance the school may provide in order for the student to return to class.
Excused absences include, but are not limited to illness (with doctors note), funerals, circumstances out of your control.
Any unexcused absences will be met with a $50 fine per day. All fines will be charged to the student's account. All fines will be paid directly to the school. Transcripts will be held until all fines are paid.
Students are responsible for making any arrangements necessary to be able to attend class on a regular basis. Any student that stops attending the program, after 3 days of non- attendance, will undergo a status determination. Administration will contact the student to determine the student’s reason for non- attendance. Administrative withdrawal will occur after administration has exhausted all resources for contacting the student and not more than 6 days of non-attendance.
Tardiness Policy: A student’s punctuality in class and their willingness to participate in class until the class is dismissed reflects a dedicated attitude. This attitude establishes a record of attendance and performance that the student can present along with his/her academic qualifications to future employers.
Tardiness and leaving early also presents a disruption to your classmates. Therefore, any tardiness more than 15 minutes, is considered 1 tardy. 3 tardies=1 absence.
Make-up work Policy: Students will be allowed to make-up missed work if he/she has an excused absence. This will be done on his/her own time. If a student misses the class the day of a test, the student will take the test on the next day of attendance.
Leave of Absence
A leave of absence will be granted to students in good standing. (A student with a grade less than passing, with poor attendance, or unpaid fines or tuition is not considered in good standing.)
Requests for leave of absence will be considered individually by the School Director.
A leave of absence extending for more than 10 days must be requested and approved by the School Director.
The student must submit in writing, a leave of absence request form to include the reason for the request, and be signed by the student, dated, and be approved and signed by the School Director, before the Leave of Absence can begin.
When a student has been granted a leave of absence, they are required to make up the course work they missed.
A leave of absence will not exceed 14 consecutive school days.
If the student does not resume attendance at the school on or before the end of a leave of absence, the school treats the student as a withdrawal. The student understands that his/her withdrawal from the Massage Therapy program is effective the date the student failed to return to class and his/her partial refund, if any, will be calculated based on the effective date and in accordance with the published refund schedule. The student will also be responsible for paying any tuition that is owed.
Grading Policy
Our class is set up in a google classroom. You will be able to see test grades and cumulative grades at any time.
The student's final grade will be based on an average of all exam scores (including the final exam), participation grade for afternoon practical hours, clinicals, and final massage, and homework. The student must have at least a 75% overall grade, and a 70% on the final exam, to pass the course.
Test Retakes
If a student receives below a 75% on a test, that student has the option to retake the test. Each student has the option to retake three (3) tests if it is below 75%. The retake test score will be the one that is recorded on the student’s progress report. Tests cannot be retaken on the same day.
Final Test
Students will be given a multiple-choice final exam that is set up like the MBLEx. It is worth 100 points. If a student does not pass the final exam with a 70% or better, he/she will be required to retake it. If a student does not pass the retake, they will be held until they are able to pass a retake with a 70%.
Once a student reaches 500 clock hours, every hour a student goes over to complete coursework or pass the final test will cost the student $20/per hour until completion of coursework.
Student diplomas will be held until all monies are paid.
Withdrawal
Students withdrawing from the program are asked to have an interview with a school administrator and sign a statement documenting the date of the withdrawal for their academic records. A student is considered withdrawn if he/she has had said interview, signed a withdrawal form, and has paid any outstanding debts to Nirvana Massage Academy.
The student understands that his/her withdrawal from the Massage Therapy program is effective the date the withdrawal form is processed and his/her partial refund, if any, will be calculated based on the effective date and in accordance with the published refund schedule.
Attendance: After a student has missed three (3) days of instruction, NMA will conduct a status determination by contacting the student to see the reason for non-attendance and whether the student plans to return. After NMA has exhausted all resources to contact the student an administrative withdrawal will occur if the student has missed more than 6 days.
Readmission
When a student withdraws prior to graduation, the student may re-enter NMA within two years and retain full academic credit provided the courses are still applicable to the program. While the returning student does not need to reapply for admission, he/she will be required to meet with the Director to discuss re-entry. Tuition and fees at the time of reentry will apply.
NMA welcomes students who have started their postsecondary academic programs at other schools and who have satisfactorily completed coursework that is applicable to the Massage Therapy program offered by NMA.
NMA has established the following policy and procedures to ensure that appropriate academic experience is considered for applicable transfer credit. Official transcripts must be received directly from the former institution prior to beginning coursework at NMA and must be approved by the School Director.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
The Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy measures whether students are progressing at a responsible rate towards the completion of their educational objectives. Students must be in compliance with this policy in order to maintain their eligibility to stay in the program.
Students will be evaluated monthly. Evaluation includes current grade and attendance progress.
If a student falls below Satisfactory Academic Progress they will be put on Probation for 1 month. If the situation is not remedied,(grade is brought up to passing or attendance is better) the student will meet with the school director for options.
If a student exceeds the maximum timeframe because of excessive absences, a $50 dollar per day fine will be placed on the student.
Transcripts will be held until all debts to the school are paid.
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 70% or better. To be making satisfactory academic progress, students must have a grade of 70% at the end of the evaluation period.
Students must not have more than 8 cumulative excused absences or any unexcused absences.
A student must meet these standards to be considered as meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress and in 'Good Standing.'
Student Clinicals Policy
Each student cannot exceed 50 hours of clinical massages. The student is required to have one hundred (100) hours of anatomy, physiology, pathology, and contraindications for massage therapy, and one hundred (100) hours of technical training, and all portions of the school’s curriculum pertaining to personal hygiene, sanitation, ethics, and professional standards; before they can begin offering student clinical massages.
Student massages are scheduled during normal massage practice times, (with some exceptions) and are assigned to students. Students are responsible for being prepared and on time for their clinicals.
Tutoring Services
Professional tutoring services are available at $25.00 per hour. In order to truly benefit from this type of assistance, students must have a genuine desire to become competent massage therapists and must apply themselves diligently to their course work and clinical experience. Please speak with the school director for assistance.
School Policies
Conditions for Dismissal
A student may be dismissed from Nirvana Massage Academy for any of the following reasons:
Unsatisfactory attendance progress-
Not attending the number of hours required to complete the course in the time allotted
Unsatisfactory academic progress
Not making 70% or higher
Unprofessional behavior
Any infraction of school policy
Delinquent satisfaction of financial obligations to the school
Not making payments in a timely manner
Possession of firearms or weapons
Attending class or any NMA event while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Theft of any kind
Sexual misconduct
Falsification of school records
Brings drugs or alcohol to NMA or any NMA event
Cheating on test or assignments
Behaving in any manner that may be harmful to the learning environment or reputation of the school.
Student Records
Student records are confidential and are accessible only to the individual student, administrative and teaching staff, or to state or federal officials when appropriate. Release of records for any other purpose must be requested by the student in writing. Records of academic progress are permanently maintained by the school.
A student’s records are available to the student for review during regular business hours. Student records are not made available to any third party without express written permission from the student, except under rare extenuating circumstances, such as the existence of a public safety risk, or a legal order.
Nirvana Massage Academy may also give permission to Arkansas Department of Health Massage Therapy Section, U.S. Department of Education, and Veterans Affairs (Veterans’ files only) without prior consent from the student. Each student is provided with one official student transcript free of charge when they receive their diploma upon successful completion of the massage therapy program.
Additional official transcripts are available to a student upon receipt of a written request and a $10.00 transcript fee. A student may receive a duplicate diploma by submitting a written request to the school with a $10.00 fee. Again, records are confidential and will not be released to a third party without written permission from the student except under rare extenuating circumstances mandated by law.
Student Complaint Procedures
NMA is committed to open and ongoing communications between students, instructors, and staff. Should a student develop a complaint concerning the massage program, the school or the services offered by the school, the student has the opportunity to express that complaint to those involved.
Students are encouraged to resolve their grievances on an individual basis when possible. In addition, a variety of options are available for problem resolution and the student should follow the procedure below.
Every effort should be made to resolve an issue by communicating with the staff or instructor before a formal complaint is filed. If a complaint is not satisfactorily resolved, the complaint should be in written form and given to the school director. A written complaint must contain the following formation:
The nature of the complaint.
The approximate date(s) that the problem occurred.
The name(s) of the individual(s) involved in the problem and/or other students involved, if applicable.
Important factual information, such dates of meetings with staff and/or faculty members, and outcome of meeting(s).
The signature of the person filing the complaint.
The Director’s office will review the complaint, investigate as needed, and in most cases will respond to the student within 10 business days. In cases where complaint resolution may take longer than 10 business days, the Director will keep the student informed of the progress being made to address the complaint.
If a student does not feel that Nirvana Massage Academy has adequately addressed a complaint or concern, the student may consider contacting the Arkansas Department of Health, Massage Therapy and Cosmetology Section Complaint Procedure
The Arkansas Department of Health, Massage Therapy and Cosmetology Section has established an online complaint process. Any person may file a complaint against a school licensed by the Board. Official complaints must be submitted in writing. To file an electronic complaint, visit
healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/massage-therapy- complaint-form.
Submit the complaint when complete.
Or, you may print and return the completed form to:
Arkansas Department of Health
Cosmetology and Massage Therapy Section
4815 W. Markham, Slot 8
Little Rock, AR 72205
or call 501-682-2168.
Complaints are public information. By submitting a complaint, you may be required to testify to the violations witnessed.
Financial Information
Costs
The tuition for the Nirvana Massage Academies 500 clock hour massage therapy program is $8,500.
Tuition includes the following:
All lecture and hands-on instruction
All required textbooks
CPR class
Student insurance
Field trips, if taken.
Tuition does not include the following:
Arkansas (or other state) licensing application fee
MBLEx test cost
Arkansas Law Exam fee
Background Check
Massage equipment or supplies necessary for a graduate to practice (massage table, chair, lotions, etc.).
Payment Methods
Nirvana Massage Academy accepts cash, checks, and all major credit cards.
If a student’s check is accepted and then returned by the bank for insufficient funds, a $35.00 NSF fee will be applied to the student’s account.
Payment Policy
All payments are due at the time of the start of class All balances of the student account shall be paid in full before any credit balance is issued to the student. At no time shall any credit balance be issued to students based upon expected payments from any payor source.
Payment Plan Option
NMA offers an In-School financing plan with no interest.
Tuition may be paid in full at the beginning of the program or in six (6) monthly payments due, as follows:
$1,500 down payment at enrollment
$1,000 payment prior to the start of month 2
$1,000 payment prior to the start of month 3
$1,000 payment prior to the start of month 4
$1,000 payment prior to the start of month 5
$1,000 payment prior to the start of month 6
$1000 payment prior to completion
Total tuition of $7500.
All students must have tuition paid in full by the completion of course in order to receive a Diploma.
The schools refund policy will be applied to the student’s balance if the student is dropped and or withdraw
Refund Policies
Termination of Enrollment
NMA shall have the right to terminate a student for good cause which may include, but not limited to, falling below academic standards and/or failing to abide by the Student Conduct Policies. The Instructor(s) has seven (7) days to give the Student(s) their transcript providing that all fees and costs have been satisfied with the Nirvana Massage Academy.
A student terminated by NMA for academic or student conduct violations may also be entitled to a refund. The effective date of the termination, for refund purposes, shall be the last day of attendance.
Institutional Refund Policy
Students who officially withdraw or are terminated may be eligible for a refund calculated as a percentage of tuition. Such refunds are determined according to the schedules below. The registration fee ($500) and textbooks are not refundable.
Students who prepay the entire tuition: Students who cancel, or who are terminated after beginning instruction, but prior to 50% of course completion, shall receive a prorated refund based upon the number of clock hours completed to the number of total course clock hours and the amount of money paid minus the registration fee.
The following refund policy will apply to student who prepays the entire tuition cost of the program:
At completion of less than twenty-five percent (25%) of the program, the student will be refunded 70% of the tuition.
At completion of 25% but less than 50% of the program, the student will be refunded 40% of the tuition.
At completion of 50% or more of the program, no refund is due to the student.
Students Utilizing the Payment Plan: At completion of the first week of the program, no tuition costs will be refunded.
Reservation of Rights
The school reserves the right to:
Modify existing or new programs by addition, deletion or variation
Re-schedule or consolidate classes
Change faculty members by replacement or substitution
Relocate facility, within reasonable distance
Information contained in this catalog is subject to change as deemed necessary and without written notification.