Culinary, Entertainment, and Personal Services
Funeral Service and Mortuary Science
Prepares you for careers in the funeral service industry and for licensure as funeral service directors or morticians. Covers the basic elements of mortuary science and the business, counseling, and operational aspects of funeral service.
Inside the major
Programs within this field
Colleges may offer this field under 4 more specific program names. The program you choose affects the courses you take.
- Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General
- Prepares you for careers in the funeral service industry and for licensure as funeral service directors or morticians. Covers the basic elements of mortuary science and the business, counseling, and operational aspects of funeral service.
- Funeral Direction/Service
- Prepares you for professional licensure as funeral directors and as managers of funeral homes, cemeteries, and related services. Covers 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.
- Mortuary Science and Embalming/Embalmer
- Prepares you for licensure as embalmers and morticians. Covers pathogenic microbiology, systematic pathology, thanatochemistry, gross anatomy, clinical mortuary science, embalming, restorative art, applicable laws and regulations, and special services such as cremation and preparations required by specific religious communities.
- Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, Other
- Funeral service and mortuary science not listed above.
Where it can lead
Careers this field can lead to
Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
- Median pay
- $55,010
- Hiring change through 2035
- 3.0%
- Job openings a year
- 3,000
To get hiredAssociate's degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyFuneral Home Managers
- Median pay
- $78,790
- Hiring change through 2035
- 4.1%
- Job openings a year
- 2,600
To get hiredAssociate's degree
Explore this career Growing slowlyEmbalmers
- Median pay
- $58,780
- Hiring change through 2035
- 0.7%
- Job openings a year
- 700
To get hiredAssociate's degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyCrematory Operators
- Median pay
- $43,650
- Hiring change through 2035
- 3.1%
- Job openings a year
- 500
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this careerAll work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it. The figures beside each career are the pay of that work, across everyone doing it. Graduates of this field earn $40,434 one year after completing the program, which is the start of a career rather than the shape of one.
Working style
How and where the work happens
Related careers can feel very different from one another. Compare the specific occupations to understand the work each one involves.
This field leads to a mix of in-person and computer-based work. About 49 of every 100 openings require working close to other people or spending time on your feet.
College options
Where to study it
Ordered by how many degrees each college awards in this field. Sort by any numbered column.
| College | Degrees a year | Earnings, first year out | Admit rate | Average annual cost after aid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN | 35 | $51,139 | 77% | $10,000 |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale IL | 23 | $28,319 | 90% | $10,000 |
| University of Central Oklahoma OK | 23 | $40,408 | 82% | $18,000 |
| Wayne State University MI | 22 | $47,187 | 82% | $12,000 |
| Point Park University PA | 8 | $40,434 | 98% | $22,000 |
| Gannon University PA | 2 | — | 77% | $20,000 |