The massage therapy profession is currently engaged in a competency-based education movement that includes an emphasis on promoting massage therapy research competencies (MTRCs). A systems-based model for integrating MTRCs into massage therapy education was therefore proposed. The model and an accompanying checklist describe an approach to designing an instructional unit that includes the following phases: (1) preparing instruction (developing a unit description, rationale, and performance objectives; identifying and/or assessing prerequisite competencies; and delineating and sequencing topics by way of an advance organizer); (2) implementing instruction (selecting instructional methods; developing and assigning student learning activities; and selecting and using instructional resources; and (3) evaluating instruction (devising and using an evaluation system that includes formative evaluation and learning correctives; designing and conducting a criterion-referenced summative evaluation to determine a student's grade at the end of the unit based on demonstrated mastery of the unit's prescribed performance objectives; and conducting a unit evaluation to give students an opportunity to assess the unit's instructional quality). (The bibliography lists 11 references. The appendix presents an illustrative instructional unit on the experimental research process for use in a core research course in a massage therapy school's curriculum, a massage therapy continuing education workshop/minicourse, or a networking seminar involving diverse health science professionals.) (MN)