The Funeral Service Technology degree program at East Mississippi Community College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097 (816) 233-3747, website: www.abfse.org. The curriculum is a two-year program of study leading to an Associate of Applied Science degree in Funeral Service Technology. The graduate, with successful achievement on the National Board Examination and/or State Board examination and completion of one-year apprenticeship, is qualified to practice as a licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer in the State of Mississippi. The graduate, with successful achievement on the National Board Examination, may become eligible for licensure in other states contingent upon completion of the particular requirements of each.
Students may initially enroll in the Funeral Service Technology program only at a Fall Semester. However, a student may enroll in any remedial or appropriate academic courses during a previous semester. The Block Class Schedule of the Funeral Service Technology program allows a full-time student to attend classes on campus only two (2) days per week. Students who are employed with a funeral home establishment, or who work at another job, may be able to utilize the Block Class Schedule in order to permit them to attend classes and continue working. Students who prefer to remain on campus all week may take the Funeral Service Technology classes under the Block Class Schedule while taking their academic classes under a traditional class schedule or online.
Admission to the Funeral Service Technology Program at East Mississippi Community College requires all applicants to have acquired either a GED or high school diploma. The program further requires all applicants to have achieved either a score of 17 or higher on the ACT or alternate placement test. Please see the program advisor or a counselor for additional information regarding testing times, locations and minimum scores. To complete the program, students must complete all Funeral Service Technology courses with a minimum grade of “C.”
A student who has taken one or more Funeral Service Technology courses, but who withdraws from the program and does not return for a three (3) years or six (6) semesters excluding summer semesters, must re-enroll under the current Funeral Service Technology curriculum at the time of re-enrollment and must re-take all required Funeral Service Technology courses.
Coursework that is taken at any accredited funeral service program and is transferred for credit to EMCC will be evaluated and considered for acceptance in meeting the curriculum of the Funeral Service Technology program. However, no course in Comprehensive Review or a similar course designed for preparation for the National Board Examination as administered by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards will be accepted for transfer credit.
Program Learning Outcomes -
Upon completion of the accredited program, students will be able to:
1. Explain the importance of funeral service professionals in developing relationships with the families and communities they serve.
2. Identify standards of ethical conduct in funeral service practice.
3. Interpret how federal, state, and local laws apply to funeral service in order to ensure compliance.
4. Apply principles of public health and safety in the handling and preparation of human remains.
5. Demonstrate technical skills in embalming and restorative art that are necessary for the preparation and handling of human remains.
6. Demonstrate skills required for conducting arrangement conferences, visitations, services, and ceremonies.
7. Describe the requirements and procedures for burial, cremation, and other accepted forms of final disposition of human remains.
8. Describe methods to address the grief-related needs of the bereaved.
9. Explain management skills associated with operating a funeral establishment.
10. Demonstrate verbal and written communication skills and research skills needed for funeral service practice.
Recognizing the importance of the care of the bereaved, the department has designed a curriculum not only to educate the student in the care of the deceased but also in the care of the living. To meet this need, classes are offered in funeral directing, funeral merchandising and management, and psychosocial aspects of grief and death.
National Board Examination pass rates, graduation rates, and employment rates for this and other ABFSE-accredited programs are available at www.abfse.org in the Directory of Accredited Programs. To request a printed copy of this program’s rates, go to Funeral Service Technology Office, Room 27A, Hawkins Building, Scooba Campus or by email at khurt@eastms.edu or by telephone (662) 476-5100.
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