Program Overview

Funeral Directing and Management, AAS

The Funeral Directing and Management AAS degree prepares individuals for professional licensure as funeral directors and as managers of funeral homes, cemeteries, and related services. Includes instruction in the sociology of death and dying, psychology of grief and grief counseling, history of funeral service, funeral direction, business law, funeral service law, funeral home management, accounting and related computer operations, and funeral services marketing and merchandising.

This academic program is designed to meet specific state or professional needs. It is not accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education. Students graduating from this program will not have the academic credential for licensure in states where graduation from an ABFSE accredited program is required. Students graduating from this program are not eligible to take the National Board Examination or any state board examination for which graduation from an ABFSE-accredited program is required.

Funeral Directing and Management AAS degree graduates will:

• explain the importance of funeral service professionals in developing relationships with the families and communities they serve
• identify standards of ethical conduct in funeral service practice
• demonstrate the skills required for conducting arrangement conferences, visitations, services, and ceremonies
• describe the requirements and procedures for burial, cremation, and other accepted forms of final disposition of human remains
• describe the methods used to address the grief-related needs of the bereaved
• explain management skills associated with operating a funeral establishment
• demonstrate verbal and written communication skills and research skills needed for funeral service practice
• recognize the purpose of the Federal Trade Commission and its effect on funeral service
• explain how federal, state, and local laws apply to funeral service in order to ensure compliance
• demonstrate communication, critical thinking, cultural humility, information literacy, and teamwork skills
• meet Humanities, Natural Science, Quantitative Reasoning, Social Science, and Written Communication general education distribution area outcomes

Program Requirements

All students must be 18 years of age or older by the start of Quarter 6

• Quarter One
  • FDM 101 Introduction to Funeral Service 3 credits
  • ENGL& 101 English Composition I 5 credits
  • BUS& 201 Business Law 5 credits
  • FDM 130 Funeral Service Sociology and Psychology 4 credits
• Quarter Two
  • FDM 140 Funeral Directing 4 credits
  • ENGL& 102 English Composition II 5 credits
  • FDM 141 Funeral Service Ethics 3 credits
  • MATH& 107 Math in Society 5 credits (or any college-level Quantitative Reasoning course)
• Quarter Three
  • BUSA 180 Small Business Management 5 credits
  • FDM 148 Funeral Service Law and Compliance 3 credits
  • PSYC& 200 Lifespan Psychology 5 credits
  • FDM 273 Special Topics in Funeral Service 3 credits
• Quarter Four
  • CMST& 220 Introduction to Public Speaking 5 credits (or any Humanities course)
  • SOC& 101 Introduction to Sociology 5 credits (or any Social Science course)
  • ACCT 111 Introduction to Accounting I 5 credits
• Quarter Five
  • FDM 250 Funeral Service Management and Merchandising 4 credits
  • FDM 256 Funeral Service Options 3 credits
  • SOC 260 Sociology of Death and Dying 5 credits
• Quarter Six
  • FDM 297 Funeral Service Internship 4 credits
  • FDM 298 Comprehensive Review 4 credits
  • BH 222 Multicultural Counseling 5 credits

Diversity and Social Justice Requirement

Within the degree requirements, students must complete a 3-5 credit course that meets the college’s Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) requirement. DSJ courses are designated in the college schedule and are designed to meet other general education or technical requirements simultaneous to meeting the DSJ requirement. Note: Not all sections of a course meet the DSJ requirement. Students should review the class information to ensure the class section includes “course attributes: meets diversity requirement.”

General Education Requirements - 20 Credits

The following courses from the Program Requirements listed above meet the General Education requirements for this program.

• ENGL& 101 English Composition I 5 credits
• MATH& 107 Math in Society 5 credits (or any college-level Quantitative Reasoning course)
• CMST& 220 Introduction to Public Speaking 5 credits (or any Humanities course)
• SOC& 101 Introduction to Sociology 5 credits (or any Social Science course)

Total Program Credits: 90

The Funeral Directing and Management AAS degree requires a total of 90 credits to complete.