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What is Mortuary Science?

Mortuary Science is a field of study in business focused on deceased bodies.  A funeral service is the ritual, rites, and ceremony to memorialize and honor a person who has died which can be held with or without the presence of the deceased.  A funeral service also attends to the needs of the living by giving them an opportunity to grieve, honor, remember, and grapple with loss in a socially acceptable setting.  Mortuary Science focuses on studying dead bodies through mortuary work.  Studying Mortuary Science will most often lead to a career as a mortician, embalmer, or funeral director.

A degree in mortuary science and embalming is necessary for those who plan to work as morticians and funeral directors. Mortuary science and embalming deals with the restoration and preservation of bodies prior to funerary services. A mortuary science and embalming program does not just educate the student in working with dead bodies, but also with the consolation of the friends and families of the deceased. Mortuary science and embalming programs include coursework in business management and ethics.

Degree Median Salary vs Adjacent Degree Types

Source: BLS, US Census, and IPEDS

2024 Best Mortuary Science Degrees

At the top of our rankings this year for the best college offering a degree in Mortuary Science is the Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service. The course is designed to meet the requirements for licensure and employment in the funeral service. Offering theoretical and practical fundamentals in the field. Developing successful professionals, ensuring exceptional career opportunities, and designed to convey real-world knowledge and skills.

Acceptance Rate

-

Student to Faculty Ratio

35:1

The second leading institution on our list this year for the best university offering a top rated degree in Mortuary Science is Carl Sandburg College. They train their students to serve within the funeral service profession and cling to the university's dedication to the individual's success in human development and achievement of educational goals. Through their wide variety of educational experiences, they gain skills essential to excel in the field. Graduates are equipped with all the necessary skills to uphold and foster the reputation of the industry.

Acceptance Rate

-

Student to Faculty Ratio

14:1

Malcolm X College (MXC) is the first of the seven City Colleges of Chicago. Founded in 1911 as Crane Junior College, it was renamed in 1968 at the behest of the local community. Today, it is one of the premier institutions in the city providing comprehensive technical and academic education through a variety of associate degree courses and certificate programs.

Through the work of Beacon College for Health Science Education, MXC is a leader in community health and offers one of the most robust portfolios of healthcare-related degrees and certifications. At the junior college level, MXC offers basketball and cross-country, as well as intramural opportunities for weightlifting and basketball. An on-campus library provides literary nourishment to the students, while extracurricular activities organized by the several student clubs afford opportunities to interact with each other as well as the community that the college serves.

Including the strong healthcare portfolio of course, MXC also provides educational opportunities in more than 200 disciplines of study such as Biological Sciences, Child Development, Facilities Management, Information Technology and Mortuary Science, among others.

Tuition begins at $5,207 per year, which makes MXC an affordable education hub for the workforce and student community in Chicago’s West Side. In addition to mainstream degree and certificate courses, MXC also offers an adult education program to those who wish to pursue their education after a break. Credit students enrolling in two-year associate degree programs benefit from City Colleges of Chicago’s transfer agreements with some of the top universities and colleges in the United States.

Acceptance Rate

-

Student to Faculty Ratio

25:1

The mortuary science degree program at Piedmont Technical College is a one-of-a-kind program in the state.  PTC offers the program as an associate degree in addition to certificate programs in embalming and funeral director.  The ABFSE accredited college offers a top-tier education program in Funeral Service Education to help prepare students for a future in the industry.  Piedmont Technical College boasts a one-hundred percent placement rate for students in this program and the BLS indicates a strong growth in the sector.  Learn more about the admissions requirements and licensure standards by visiting the school today.

Acceptance Rate

-

Student to Faculty Ratio

16:1

Accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), The University of the District of Columbia's Mortuary Science degree program is one of the most qualified institutions in the United States. They provide their students with a comprehensive education in the area. Structured to produce professional individuals in the industry. After finishing the course, students go on to having careers in mortuary science such as funeral director, embalmer, autopsy technician, and funeral merchandise marketer.

Acceptance Rate

-

Student to Faculty Ratio

9:1

Wayne University's Mortuary Science degree offers quality education and training to individuals interested in the field. They aid them in developing their skills in the funeral service profession and serve their communities with care and distinction. Through their high-quality standard instruction and practical experiences, they produce students with a strong foundation of knowledge in the field. Graduates are more than ready to navigate in the mortuary science area.

Acceptance Rate

-

Student to Faculty Ratio

25:1

Educational Requirements in Mortuary Science

In terms of educational requirements, Funeral Service and Mortuary Science degree holders will have typically studied the following courses while in college:

Skills & Abilities Required in Mortuary Science

  1. Active Listening
  2. Writing
  3. Speech Clarity
  4. Speaking
  5. Instructing
  6. Reading Comprehension
  7. Oral Expression
  8. Oral Comprehension
  9. Speech Recognition
  10. Written Comprehension

Employment & Specializations in Mortuary Science

For students that earn a degree mortuary science, there are several fields of specialization that one can pursue inside or outside the field. Career options can include vocations such as: office manager, auditor, mortician, funeral director, embalmer, managers, auditor, human resources, sales managers, teachers, advertising director, marketing executive, cost estimator, psychologist, social worker, and corporate trainer in the public or private domain to name a few possible career tracks.

Upon completion, programs assist individuals with apprenticeship placement, a necessity for eventually obtaining licensure. All states require licensure for funeral directors, though some states may require separate licenses for embalming and funeral direction. The governing body for program accreditation is the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE).

Mortuary Jobs & Funeral Service Salary

The job growth in mortuary science domain are steadily growing based on recent surveys by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the DOL.  For example, the rate of job growth for funeral directors is expected to rise 5% through 2024 which is on par with the national average for all jobs during this timeframe.

Given the broad nature of the Funeral Service and Mortuary Science degree, compensation after graduation can vary greatly .  As an example, the mean annual income for a mortician is currently $56,300 with the bottom ten percent earning $29,260 a year and the top 10% earning $85,060 on average.

Additional Resources for Mortuary & Funeral Service Students
  • Funeral and Memorial Information Council (FMIC)
  • Funeral Service Foundation (FSF)
  • International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards (ICFSEB)
  • National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)
  • National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association (NFDMA)
  • The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA)
  • Cremation Association of North America (CANA)

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