School of Mortuary Sciences and Funeral Directing Services – Pima Medical Institute

 

What is Mortuary Science?

 

Funeral directors, sometimes referred to as morticians, are the professionals who help care for the deceased and their families. Funeral directors arrange services and direct funeral practices and rites and include the wishes of the deceased and their family members. A funeral director is responsible for removing the deceased and preparing remains, directing a ceremony that honors the deceased and addresses the spiritual needs of the family, and carrying out the final disposition of the deceased.

 

In addition, funeral directors may need to develop obituary notices, arrange for pallbearers and clergy, work with the cemetery to schedule grave openings and closings, decorate and prepare the service sites and provide transportation to the deceased and family members.

 

Many funeral directors are also trained, licensed and practicing embalmers with an education in the sanitary, cosmetic and preservative process.

 

 

 

 

Mortuary Science Associate’s Degree Program

 

Pima Medical Institute's Mortuary Science program will prepare students to become competent, ethical, team-oriented, entry-level funeral service professionals. During the program, students will receive classroom instruction that will include topics such as microbiology, pathology, embalming, restorative art, funeral directing, management, law and the psychology of grief. Students will also be able to gain hands-on experience through internships before they graduate. Upon graduation from Pima Medical Institute's Mortuary Science program, students will earn an associate degree.

 

 

Aims

 

The Mortuary Science program has developed its mission, aims, and objectives to be in sync with the mission of Pima Medical Institute and specific to the professional community that it serves. The program and curriculum are dynamic to meet the continuously changing needs of the community and funeral service profession. The aims of the Mortuary Science program include the recognition of the importance of funeral professionals and future graduates as:

 

1. Members of a human services profession.
2. Members of the community in which they serve.
3. Participants in the relationship between bereaved families and those engaged in the funeral service profession.
4. Professionals knowledgeable of and compliant with federal, state, provincial/territorial, and local regulatory guidelines (in the geographic area where they practice).
5. Professionals sensitive to the responsibility for public health, safety, and welfare in caring for human remains.

 

 

Objectives

 

1. To enlarge the background and knowledge of students about the funeral service profession.
2. To educate students in every phase of funeral service and to help enable them to develop proficiency and skills necessary for the profession as described in the aims of the program.
3. To educate students concerning the responsibilities of the funeral service profession to the community at large.
4. To emphasize high standards of ethical conduct.
5. To provide a curriculum at the post-secondary level of instruction; and to encourage student and faculty research in the field of funeral service.

 

 

Admission Requirements

 

An 80 percent minimum score on mathematics screening exam, passing of the Wonderlic examination, a high school diploma or GED and an interview with the program director are required. Please reference the Pima Medical Institute academic catalog for additional admissions practices and policies.

 

 

Mortuary Science Courses:

 

Course #	Course	Theory	Lab	Extern	Credits
CSK 100	Study Skills	15			1.0
CCB 120	Computer Applications	15	15		1.5
ACC 110	Accounting	45			3.0
CCM 130	Communications	45			3.0
BIO 115	Anatomy & Physiology	45	30		4.0
MSE 101	Introduction to Funeral Services	15	15		1.5
MSE 115	Thanatochemistry	45			3.0
MSE 120	History of the Funeral Profession	30			2.0
Sequence I Total		255	60		19.0
Course #	Course	Theory	Lab	Extern	Credits
MSE 155	Embalming I	30	30		3.0
BUS 101	Introduction to Business	45			3.0
BIO 135	Microbiology	45			3.0
BUS 135	Business Law	45			3.0
MSE 140	Funeral Service Options	45	15		3.5
MSE 175	Clinical I			60	1.0
Sequence II Total		210	45	60	16.5
Course #	Course	Theory	Lab	Extern	Credits
MSE 205	Embalming II	30	30		3.0
MSE 180	Restorative Art I	45			3.0
MSE 160	Sociology of the Funeral Profession	30			2.0
MSE 170	Ethics in the Funeral Prof. & Fed. Trade Com.	30			2.0
MSE 165	Pathology	30			2.0
MSE 185	Funeral Directing	60			4.0
MSE 200	Clinical II			60	1.0
Sequence III Total		225	30	60	17.0
Course #	Course	Theory	Lab	Extern	Credits
MSE 255	Embalming III	30	30		3.0
MSE 220	Restorative Art II	30	15		2.5
MSE 210	Funeral Management	60			4.0
MSE 215	Funeral Law	30			2.0
MSE 240	Funeral Service Merchandising & Sales	45	15		3.5
MSE 225	Clinical III			80	1.5
Sequence IV Total		195	60	80	16.5
Course #	Course	Theory	Lab	Extern	Credits
MSE 280	State Law Review	15			1.0
MSE 260	Psychology & Dynamics of Grief	60			4.0
MSE 250	Internship			400	8.5
MSE 275	Funeral Service Professional Review	40			2.5
Sequence V Total		115		400	16.0
PROGRAM TOTALS		1000	195	600	85.0

 

 

Job Outlook for Funeral Directors

 

Job opportunities for funeral directors and embalmers are expected to be good. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the best job opportunities are for funeral directors who also embalm. Employment of mortuary science graduates is expected to increase by 12 percent through 2018, due to aging population and the need to replace funeral directors who retire or leave the occupation.

 

 

Funeral Director and Embalmer Licensure and Certification

 

All states, except Colorado, require that funeral directors be licensed. Some states require all funeral directors to be licensed in embalming, while others have separate licenses for directors and embalmers. Some states also require apprenticeships, which can last from one to three years. The American Board of Funeral Service Education accredits mortuary science programs and graduates from accredited programs are eligible to apply to sit for the National Board Exam for Embalmers and Funeral Directors, administered by the International Conference of Funeral Services Examining Board (ICFSE), 1885 Shelby Lane, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72704.

 

 

Mortuary Science Program Length

 

Approximately 18 months

 

 

For more detailed information on PMI's Mortuary Science program specifics and financial aid eligibility, please visit your local campus below.

Seattle, Washington

 

 

Pima Medical Institute is applying for candidacy through the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 3414 Ashland Ave, Suite G, St. Joseph MO. 64506. Caution: Students applying for admission to the Mortuary Science program should contact their respective state boards of funeral service regarding that state board’s approval of this particular program of instruction.