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 associate 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.
View Graduation Rates & National Board Statistics
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
Licensure Requirements For Each State
National Funeral Directors Association
The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Board
Admission Requirements
*Please note that we are launching a new, more efficient application system on October 18 to simplify the process of applying to NCC. If you have already begun an application in the current system, we recommend completing it before October 18 to avoid having to start over. Additionally, our Fall 2025 application will also open on October 18.*
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. *
Current NCC and Transfer student applicants: Grades of C or better in each course being transferred in; achieved a minimum G.P.A. of 2.75 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.
*High school courses must be college preparatory level. Equivalents from other colleges may satisfy requirements
The application procedure for Funeral Service Education is as follows:
- Submit online application.
- 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.
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.
Deadlines
Funeral Service Education is a fall-start program. Students may apply to the clinical program starting October 1. Applications must be completed by February 1. Students will not be able to apply to the clinical program after February 1.
After February 1, students who wish to take general education courses toward the Funeral Service Education degree may apply to the General Studies program of study.
Contact the Admissions Office at 610-861-5500 for further information.
Academic Dismissal from Health Sciences Selective Admission Programs
Any student who does not successfully complete* one (1) course that carries the prefix of the student's Health Sciences major will be dismissed from the program. This policy applies to courses in these programs: Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMSG), Radiography (RADT), Nursing (NURS) and Funeral Services (FUNS).
Students may apply again for possible readmission, which includes testing of previous core course material. Readmission is on a space available basis, and priority is given to students entering the program for the first time and to those students who have successfully completed the core courses and have maintained continuous enrollment.
If the student is readmitted and again does not successfully complete one (1) course that carries the prefix of the student's Health Sciences program, they will be dismissed from the program and will not be eligible to reapply.
*Unsuccessful course completion is defined as a final course grade of F or W.
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.
Courses
Summer Sessions
| COLS101 | College Success | 1 credits |
| ENGL101 | English I | 3 credits |
MATH
| Mathematics Elective (QL) | 3 credits |
| PSYC103 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 credits |
| Elective | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
First Semester (Fall)
| BIOS160 | Human Biology | 4 credits |
| CISC101 | Introduction to Information Technology | 3 credits |
| COMM101 | Introduction to Communication | 3 credits |
| ENGL151L | English II | 3 credits |
BUSA
| Business Elective | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Second Semester (Spring)
| ACCT101 | Financial Accounting I | 3 credits |
| OR | |
| ACCT100 | Accounting for Non-Accountants | 3 credits |
| | |
| BIOS202 | Microbiology for Allied Health | 4 credits |
| BUSA152 | Business Law I | 3 credits |
| PHIL111G | On Death and Dying | 3 credits |
| PSYC221 | Responding to the Bereaved | 3 credits |
| SOCA103 | Principles of Sociology | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 19 |
Summer Sessions
| CHEM135 | Chemistry of Life | 4 credits |
| BUSA221G | Business Communications | 3 credits |
| General Education Elective (SIT) | 3 credits |
| Elective | 3 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 13 |
Third Semester (Fall)
| FUNS101 | Principles of Funeral Service | 2 credits |
| FUNS102 | Introduction to Funeral Service | 4 credits |
| FUNS201 | Funeral Home Operations I | 4 credits |
| FUNS203 | Pathology for Funeral Service | 3 credits |
| FUNS210 | Embalming Theory I | 3 credits |
| | |
| FUNS241 | Funeral Services Field Study I | 1 credits |
| OR | |
| FUNS212 | Funeral Service Clinical I | 1 credits |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17 |
Fourth Semester (Spring)
| FUNS105 | Funeral Directing | 3 credits |
| FUNS220 | Embalming Theory II | 3 credits |
| FUNS231 | Funeral Home Operations II | 2 credits |
| | |
| FUNS242 | Funeral Services Field Study II | 1 credits |
| OR | |
| FUNS222 | Funeral Service Clinical II | 1 credits |
| | |
| FUNS251 | United States and Pennsylvania Funeral Law | 3 credits |
| FUNS255 | Cosmetology & Restorative Art | 3 credits |
| FUNS280 | Funeral 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.