How Can I Become a Funeral Director?
Can you be sympathetic and helping others during difficult times? Are you comfortable working with the deceased? If so, then consider a career as a funeral director. Read on to learn more about this career path. Schools offering Culinary Arts degrees can also be found in these popular choices.
What Would I Do as a Funeral Director?
Your main priority as a funeral director is to manage funeral rites for the deceased. Different cultures have different customs and expectations for funeral directors to follow. However, you'll typically be responsible for preparing the remains of the deceased and overseeing the funeral or ceremony held in their honor.
As a funeral director, you'll work to meet the wishes and demands of a deceased individual's family members and friends. You'll work with them to prepare obituary notices, determine the location and date of a wake and arrange necessary hearse transportation. Other burial logistics include working with clergy or other religious ceremony officiators, completing necessary paperwork and directing mourners. You may also be responsible for embalming the bodies of the deceased if you're licensed to do so.
What Training Programs Are Available?
If you're interested in becoming a funeral director, you'll need a formal education. You can enroll in an associate's or bachelor's degree program in mortuary science. The American Board of Funeral Service Education accredits about 56 of these programs across the country (www.abfse.org). While enrolled in such a degree program, you're expected to learn about human anatomy and embalming techniques. You might also study the business aspects of the mortuary science industry. Such programs also focus on client services, accounting and funeral service law.
What Licensure Will I Need to Have?
All 50 states require you to gain licensure before you can perform as a funeral director. Each state has their own licensing requirements, but most require applicants to have at least two years of education in mortuary science along with one year working as an apprentice under a licensed funeral director. Many states require you to take and pass an examination before you can gain licensure. Some states may require you to get a separate licensure in embalming before you can begin as a funeral director.
To continue researching, browse degree options below for course curriculum, prerequisites and financial aid information. Or, learn more about the subject by reading the related articles below:
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