;

Funeral Service Education, Associate in Applied Science

Overview

Narrative

Are you interested in:

  • Helping Others?
  • The Human Biological Sciences?
  • Community Involvement?
  • A business environment?

Have you considered a career in Funeral Service?

The funeral service professional:

  • Provides support to the bereaved during initial stages of grief.
  • Arranges and directs funeral ceremonies.
  • Performs the transfer of the deceased from the place of death.
  • Prepares the body according to the wishes of the survivors and requirements of the law.
  • Sells funeral related services and merchandise.
  • Establishes pre-arranged/pre-financed funeral accounts.
  • Secures information for legal documents.
  • Files death certificates and other legal papers.
  • Assists survivors with details for filing claims for death benefits.
  • Helps individuals adapt to changes in their lives following a death through post-death counseling and support group activities.

Why should you enter funeral service?

  • You are a caregiver who desires to serve others.
  • You believe ceremony is an effective way of expressing feelings.
  • You are open-minded about ways in which people of different faiths and cultures express their feelings and practice their beliefs.
  • You are interested in the technical sciences.
  • You exhibit sensitivity and compassion for those with whom you are in contact.
  • You are interested in learning all aspects of a business.

Funeral Service Education provides you with a comprehensive understanding of all phases of funeral service necessary to serve the bereaved in a professional and ethical manner. The need for funeral directors and embalmers will escalate over the next twenty years and the earning potential has never been better.

Mission Statement

Our mission as Northampton Community College Funeral Service Education is to educate students in the fundamental skills, knowledge, and practice of funeral service. We strive to create a supportive learning environment which fosters communication, critical thinking, self-discipline, compassion and encourages student and faculty research in the field of funeral service. The program embraces the college's mission, vision and values, and is committed to providing an unexcelled educational experience that is inclusive and diverse.

Accreditation

The Funeral Service Education degree program at Northampton Community College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108, Woodbury Heights, New Jersey 08097 (816) 233-3747. Web: www.abfse.org.

National Board Examination pass rates, graduation rates, (beginning in 2015) and employment rates (beginning in 2015) for this and other ABFSE-accredited programs are available at www.abfse.org or can be obtained here. To request a printed copy of this program's rates, go to the Funeral Service Education Program Director's office, Commonwealth Hall, Office 106 or by e-mail at tmoore@northampton.edu, or by telephone 610-861-5576.

Funeral Services Stats

Funeral Service Student Learning Outcomes

Upon Completion of an accredited program, students will be able to:

  • 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.
  • Interpret how federal, state, and local laws apply to funeral service in order to ensure compliance.
  • Apply principles of public health and safety in the handling and preparation of human remains.
  • Demonstrate technical skills in embalming and restorative art that are necessary for the preparation and handling of human remains.
  • Demonstrate 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 methods 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.

Features

Northampton's Funeral Service Education is designed to meet the educational requirements for licensure set forth by the Pennsylvania State Board of Funeral Directors.

Upon graduation you will be awarded an Associate in Applied Science degree and will be eligible to begin your 12-month Resident Internship. Our graduates have experienced a high level of placement within the profession.

Students are admitted to the program during the Fall sessions of each year and are encouraged to participate in the social and community service activities of Sigma Phi Sigma- The Funeral Service Education Student Association. Funeral Service Education core courses are offered during the day.

Career Potential: Funeral Director, Embalmer, Pre-Need Funeral Counselor

Admission Requirements

Acceptance into the Funeral Services Education Program is competitive and you will need to meet certain prerequisites to be considered for admission. These admission criteria include:

High school graduates and non-traditional student applicants: will need to have completed high school Biology and Chemistry (with labs) with a grade of C or better AND have an overall G.P.A. of 2.5 or better.

Transfer student applicants: Grades of C or better in each course being transferred in; achieved a minimum G.P.A. of 2.5 for any college-level work completed.

Funeral Service Education core courses (courses with the prefix FUNS) may only be taken by those students who have completed the 60 hours of general education requirement. See prerequisites for grade requirements.

A physical examination and completed medical health form are also required for acceptance. Obtain necessary immunizations and/or titers. Have or obtain health insurance.

The application procedure for Funeral Service Education is as follows:

  1. Forward completed application with $25 (non-refundable) fee to the Admissions Office.
  2. Have official transcripts from all institutions attended (high school and college, if applicable) to the Admissions Office. Your file will not be reviewed until all transcripts are received.
  3. Files completed by February 1st will be given primary consideration for acceptance. Applications received after this date will be reviewed on a space available basis only.

A Funeral Service Education advisor will guide you in selecting the appropriate courses that will prepare you to enter the Funeral Service Education core. When you are ready to pursue the Funeral Service Education core phase (which includes all FUNS courses) you need to submit a Clinical/Core Readiness form to the Admissions Office by February 1st. Priority for core seats will be given to those students with the most general education program courses completed and highest G.P.A.

Contact the Admissions Office at 610.861.5500 for further information.

Outcomes

Graduates of the program will:

  • Discuss the history and development of the funeral service profession and practices.
  • Demonstrate competence in the knowledge and skills necessary to perform in the role of a funeral service professional.
  • Recognize the responsibilities of the funeral service profession to the community at large.
  • Demonstrate professionalism and accountability related to the legal, regulatory and ethical issues facing funeral service.
  • Communicate effectively in oral and written forms with client families, peers, members of the funeral service community and those in allied professions.
  • Assess and attend to the pre-need, at-need, and aftercare needs of client families.
  • Employ safe practices, competence and compassion when caring for the deceased.
  • Identify application of scholarly research in the field of funeral service.
  • Complete satisfactorily a curriculum at the post- secondary level of instruction

Courses

Summer Sessions

COLS101College Success

1 credits

ENGL101English I

3 credits

MATHMathematics Elective (QL)

3 credits

PSYC103Introduction to Psychology

3 credits

Elective

3 credits

Total Credit Hours:13

First Semester (Fall)

BIOS160Human Biology

4 credits

CISC101Introduction to Computers

3 credits

CMTH102Introduction to Communication

3 credits

ENGL151LEnglish II

3 credits

BUSABusiness Elective

3 credits

Total Credit Hours:16

Second Semester (Spring)

ACCT101Financial Accounting I

3 credits

OR

ACCT100Accounting for Non-Accountants

3 credits

 

BIOS202Microbiology for Allied Health

4 credits

BUSA152Business Law I

3 credits

PHIL111GOn Death and Dying

3 credits

PSYC221Responding to the Bereaved

3 credits

SOCA103Principles of Sociology

3 credits

Total Credit Hours:19

Summer Sessions

CHEM135Chemistry of Life

4 credits

BUSA221GBusiness Communications

3 credits

General Education Elective (SIT)

3 credits

Elective

3 credits

Total Credit Hours:13

Third Semester (Fall)

FUNS101Principles of Funeral Service

2 credits

FUNS102Introduction to Funeral Service

4 credits

FUNS201Funeral Home Operations I

4 credits

FUNS203Pathology for Funeral Service

3 credits

FUNS210Embalming Theory I

3 credits

 

FUNS241Funeral Services Field Study I

1 credits

OR

FUNS212Funeral Service Clinical I

1 credits

Total Credit Hours:17

Fourth Semester (Spring)

FUNS105Funeral Directing

3 credits

FUNS220Embalming Theory II

3 credits

FUNS231Funeral Home Operations II

2 credits

 

FUNS242Funeral Services Field Study II

1 credits

OR

FUNS222Funeral Service Clinical II

1 credits

 

FUNS251United States and Pennsylvania Funeral Law

3 credits

FUNS255Cosmetology & Restorative Art

3 credits

FUNS280Funeral Service Education Comprehensive Review

1 credits

Total Credit Hours:16

Total Credit Hours: 94

BIOS160, CISC101, ACCT101, BIOS202, BUSA152, PSYC221, CHEM135, BUSA221G: Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in these courses to begin FUNS Courses

  • For their Social Science: Societies and Institutions over Time (SIT) Elective, students must select a course from the list of approved courses in that category.
  • One General Education course must be taken in a Writing Intensive (WI) section. In addition, writing intensive work is included in various courses in this program; thus completing the program automatically satisfies the program-related Writing Intensive (WI) requirement.
  • Computer competencies are included in various courses in this program as well as in CISC101. Thus, completing the program automatically satisfies the computing requirement.
  • For their Mathematics (QL) Elective, students must select a course from the list of approved courses in that category.
  • Students must earn a grade of "C" or better in all FUNS courses to progress in the program.