undergradly.
Major · Funeral Service

An associate’s credential for state funeral licensure

Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General (CIP 12.0301) is a two-year mortuary-science program preparing students for state funeral-director licensure. About 1,813 students complete it across 59 institutions, with associate’s grads earning $54,099 — close to the BLS national median for the underlying jobs, which require state licensure plus an apprenticeship.

Schools offering
59
Annual completions
1,813
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$56k

About this major

Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General (CIP 12.0301) is a two-year associate’s program preparing students for state funeral-director and embalmer licensure. The CIP definition organizes coursework around mortuary-science fundamentals (anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, chemistry, embalming theory and practice, restorative art) alongside the business and counseling aspects of funeral service (grief support, funeral law and ethics, funeral-home business management, accounting). Most accredited programs lead to ABFSE accreditation status, the National Board Examination (NBE), a state-supervised apprenticeship of 1-3 years, and the state funeral-director license.

The major fits students drawn to a service-oriented career at a difficult life moment for families. It rewards emotional steadiness, attention to detail in lab and ceremonial work, comfort with on-call schedules and irregular hours, and the business-operational thinking that funeral-home management requires. Day-to-day, graduates work in independent funeral homes, regional and national chains (SCI, Carriage Services, Park Lawn), county coroner offices, crematories, and increasingly in pre-need sales and funeral planning roles.

One grounded observation about scale and earnings: 1,813 students complete this CIP across 59 institutions, with associate’s grads earning $54,099 — close to the BLS national median for the underlying jobs. The packet names three BLS occupations all listing Associate’s degree as typical credential: Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers ($49,800 entry, 3.1% growth), Embalmers ($56,280, 1.3%), and Funeral home managers ($76,830, 4.1% growth — typically a mid-career role). The industry has fundamental demographic demand built in but faces structural pressure: cremation rates have risen above 60% nationally and continue climbing, compressing traditional embalming work, while chain consolidation through SCI, Carriage Services, and Park Lawn reduces independent ownership while creating chain-management paths. Top producers are private ABFSE-accredited mortuary-science colleges — Dallas Institute (147), Commonwealth Institute (136), Gupton Jones (114), Pittsburgh Institute (112) — with a handful of public community colleges (Fayetteville Tech, Cypress) rounding out the field.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Funeral home managers $77k +4.1% Associate's degree
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers $50k +3.1% Associate's degree
Embalmers $56k +1.3% Associate's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$56k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$54k

Bachelor's

$63k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you’re drawn to a service-oriented career at a difficult life moment for families, you’re emotionally steady and detail-oriented, and you’re comfortable with on-call schedules and irregular hours that funeral service demands. The associate’s plus state license + 1-3 year apprenticeship is the realistic credentialing path; the packet’s $54,099 associate’s wage tracks the BLS national median for entry-level funeral-service work. ABFSE-accredited mortuary-science colleges (Dallas Institute, Commonwealth, Gupton Jones, Pittsburgh Institute) and a handful of public CCs anchor the credentialing pipeline.

Reasons to pause: this is emotionally demanding work, and burnout from grief-facing service is a documented industry concern — make sure you’ve done volunteer or shadowing work at a funeral home before committing two years to the credential. Cremation rates above 60% nationally are compressing traditional embalming demand, and chain consolidation through SCI and Carriage Services is reducing independent funeral-home ownership opportunities. The on-call schedule and after-hours response work are non-negotiable in most positions. Verify ABFSE accreditation of any program before enrolling — non-accredited programs disqualify you from state licensure exams in nearly every state. If you’re drawn to the business side specifically, business or accounting coursework added to the associate’s credential adds more leverage than a longer mortuary-science credential.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Dallas Institute of Funeral Service Dallas, TX 147 0 147
Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service Houston, TX 136 0 136
Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service Decatur, GA 114 0 114
Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science Inc Pittsburgh, PA 112 0 112
Worsham College of Mortuary Science Wheeling, IL 85 0 85
Mid-America College of Funeral Service Jeffersonville, IN 81 2 83
American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service New York, NY 82 0 82
Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville, NC 60 0 60
John A Gupton College Nashville, TN 51 0 51
Cypress College Cypress, CA 43 5 48
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General

1,008 completions/yr

Funeral Direction/Service

125 completions/yr

Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist

62 completions/yr

Make-Up Artist/Specialist

59 completions/yr

Mortuary Science and Embalming/Embalmer

35 completions/yr

Barbering/Barber

20 completions/yr

Facial Treatment Specialist/Facialist

5 completions/yr

Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, Other

1 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does mortuary science cover?
Coursework includes anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, chemistry, embalming theory and practice, restorative art, funeral service psychology and counseling (grief support), funeral law and ethics, business management, accounting for funeral homes, and supervised laboratory and clinical embalming work. The CIP definition emphasizes both the mortuary-science fundamentals and the business, counseling, and operational aspects of funeral service. Most programs run as two-year associate’s degrees and lead to state licensure exams.
What licenses do funeral directors need?
Every state regulates funeral service. Most require: completion of an ABFSE-accredited mortuary science program, passing the National Board Examination (NBE) administered by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards, and completing a 1-3 year state-supervised apprenticeship before sitting the state licensure exam. Some states issue a single "funeral director and embalmer" license; others issue separate licenses for funeral directing and embalming. ABFSE accreditation of your program is the gate.
What jobs do graduates land — and at what pay?
The packet names three BLS occupations all listing Associate’s degree as typical credential: Funeral home managers ($76,830, 4.1% growth) — mid-career role; Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers ($49,800, 3.1% growth) — entry-level direct-service role; and Embalmers ($56,280, 1.3% growth) — specialized lab role. Real-world employers include independent funeral homes, regional and national funeral-service chains (SCI, Carriage Services), county coroner offices for embalmers, and crematory operations.
Is this a stable career?
Reasonably so, with caveats. The named target occupations grow modestly (1.3%-4.1%), and the industry has fundamental demand built in. Two structural shifts to know: cremation rates have risen above 60% nationally and continue rising, which compresses traditional embalming and burial work; consolidation through chains (SCI, Carriage Services, Park Lawn) has reduced independent funeral-home ownership while creating chain-management career paths. The work itself is emotionally demanding and on-call schedules are common.
Why do specialty mortuary-science colleges dominate the producer list?
Funeral service is a highly specialized field, and most programs are at private specialty institutions accredited by ABFSE: Dallas Institute of Funeral Service (147 completions), Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service (136), Gupton Jones College (114), Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science (112), Worsham College (85), Mid-America College (83), and American Academy McAllister Institute (82). A handful of public community colleges (Fayetteville Tech, Cypress) round out the field. ABFSE accreditation is non-negotiable — verify it before enrolling.
Is the bachelor’s ever worth it?
Rarely required for direct funeral-service work — the standard credential is the associate’s plus state licensure. The packet shows a small bachelor’s cohort at $62,551 versus $54,099 for associate’s — an $8,500 gap that may reflect students moving into funeral-home ownership, multi-location management, or industry-vendor business roles. If your goal is owning or running a chain of funeral homes, business or accounting coursework added to the associate’s and license matters more than a longer mortuary-science credential.