FUNERAL.PRE.AAS - Funeral Service Preparatory

High school graduates and students with fewer than 30 college credits should select the Funeral Service Preparatory option of the Management program. This program prepares students for admission to the Funeral Service certificate program. Combining business subjects, health sciences and behavioral sciences, the option is designed to meet the New Jersey and Pennsylvania requirement for two years of college prior to the Funeral Service certificate program. (Funeral Service Preparatory or its equivalent must be completed in order to enter the Funeral Service certificate program or to take any FUN course.)

The goals and objectives of the MCCC Funeral Service programs are: to provide students with professional training in preparation for licensure in funeral service; to prepare students to embark upon a career in a service-oriented, care-giving profession; to provide an academic environment which encourages student research and successfully integrates the theoretical, practical, and technical aspects of funeral service; and to foster the concept of education as a life-long process necessary to meet the demands of an evolving workplace with current emphasis on emerging ethical, environmental, and social issues.

Academic emphasis includes the areas of business management; public health; the social, behavioral, and natural sciences; as well as the legal, technical, and regulatory aspects of funeral service.

Students in the program who have an affiliation with an approved funeral service firm can receive college credit for their work experience. These supervised, off-campus internship courses require 16 hours per week, and students must be registered with the New Jersey State Board of Mortuary Science or the Pennsylvania Board of Funeral Directors. Placement is each student’s responsibility.

An advisory commission, consisting of active participants in funeral service, offers expertise to ensure that the Funeral Service programs meet the educational needs of future funeral directors.

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

• Develop the foundation for academic success in the Funeral Service program;

• Identify the economic, social, and ethical environment in which business entrepreneurs must operate;

• Investigate computer applications that will aid a successful funeral business;

• Demonstrate verbal and written communication skills in face to face meetings, in front of small groups, and via electronic means.

Admission to this program requires a high school diploma or its equivalent. Students should have two years of high school mathematics. Also recommended is one year each of high school laboratory science in biology and chemistry.

Supervised off-campus work experience in an approved funeral service firm for 16 hours per week. Students must also register with the New Jersey State Board of Mortuary Science or the Pennsylvania Board of Funeral Directors (depending upon the state in which they will be working). This registration enables New Jersey interns to receive credit toward their State internship requirement. Students may select a total of eight credits of electives in place of BUS 211, 212, 213, and 214 if they are not registered as interns or student trainees in Funeral Service Internship.