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Home Academics Programs and Majors Funeral Service Education

Funeral Service Education

Overview Degrees/Certificates Courses Faculty

Associate Degree

A.S. in Funeral Service Education

This degree prepares students for entry-level positions in funeral service. It is designed to meet the prerequisites for licensure and employment in the field of funeral service as funeral directors or embalmers.

The central objective of an American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) accredited program must be to educate students in every phase of funeral service so that program graduates are prepared for entry-level employment in funeral service. In support of this objective, a program must adopt at least the following Program Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of an 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.



The Funeral Service Education associate degree program at American River College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097 (816) 233-3747. Web: www.abfse.org.



NOTE: All courses, including general education, require a grade of "C" or better, and the student must register to take the National Board Examination graduation.



The annual passage rate of first-time takers on the National Board Examination (NBE) for the most recent three-year period for this institution and all ABFSE accredited funeral service education programs is posted on the ABFSE website (https://www.abfse.org/html/dir-ca.html).

National Board Examination scores, graduation rates, and employment rates for this and other ABFSE-accredited programs are available at www.abfse.org. To request a printed copy of this program’s scores and rates, go to Health and Education 770 or by email at rosev@arc.losrios.edu or by telephone at (916) 484-8145.

Catalog Date: August 1, 2024

Degree Requirements

Course Code Course Title Units
Pre-FSE Semester:
BIOL 102 Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology (4) 4
   or BIOL 103 Human Anatomy for Funeral Services (4)
FSE 300 Introduction to Funeral Service 2
1st Semester (Spring):
CHEM 130 Chemistry for Funeral Service 4
FSE 310 Funeral Directing I 3
FSE 320 Funeral Service Law and Ethics 3
FSE 335 Funeral Service Management 3
MATH 110 Elementary Geometry (5) 5
   or MATH 120 Intermediate Algebra (5)
Summer Semester (1st):
FSE 340 Pathology for Funeral Service 2
2nd Semester (Fall):
ANTH 310 Cultural Anthropology 31
BIOL 130 Microbiology for Funeral Service 3
ENGWR 300 College Composition (3) 3
   or ENGWR 480 Honors College Composition (3)
FITNS 310 Aquatic Fitness I 12
FSE 312 Funeral Directing II 3
FSE 330 Merchandising in the Funeral Service Industry 3
3rd Semester (Spring):
ACCT 101 Fundamentals of College Accounting 3
BUS 340 Business Law 3
FSE 350 Restorative Art 3.5
FSE 360 Embalming I 4
RLST 301 Introduction to World Religions 33
Summer Semester (2nd):
HIST 311 History of the United States (1865 - Present) 34
4th Semester (Fall):
COMM 301 Introduction to Public Speaking (3) 3
   or COMM 331 Group Discussion (3)
FSE 297 Internship in Funeral Service Education 5
FSE 365 Embalming II 2
FSE 370 Funeral Service Counseling 3
PSYC 390 Psychology of Death and Dying 3
Total Units: 77.5

1or any 3-unit course from ARC GE Area Vb. Social Science/Social & Behavioral Sciences.

2or any 1-unit course from ARC GE Area IIIa. Living Skills Area (Physical Activity Course).

3or any 3-unit course from ARC GE Area I, Humanities, VI Ethnic/Multicultural Studies.

4or any 3-unit course from ARC GE Area Va. (American Institutions) Social & Behavioral.

The Funeral Service Education Associate in Science (A.S.) degree may be obtained by completion of the required program, plus general education requirements, plus sufficient electives to meet a 60-unit total. See ARC graduation requirements.

Enrollment Eligibility

To be eligible for enrollment in the program, the student must meet the following criteria:

  • Graduation from an accredited high school (graduates from outside the United States must have transcripts evaluated by an approved independent agency), or successful completion of the General Educational Development (GED) Test or California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE).
  • Completion of, or in process of completing BIOL 102 or BIOL 103 and FSE 300 with grades of "C" or better in the pre­-FSE semester.
  • Minimum cumulative college GPA of 2.0.
  • A Curriculum Planning Summary Sheet completed by an ARC counselor and dated within the semester the enrollment packet is submitted.
  • A completed enrollment application.

Enrollment Process

Eligible students are selected for the program according to the following steps:

  • Pre-enrollment applications to the program may be obtained from the Health and Education Division Office, the Coordinator of the Funeral Service Education program, or at www.arc.losrios.edu/fse. The Funeral Service Education program currently accepts students once per year for the Spring semester which begins in January. The deadline to submit the application is by the last Friday in November.
  • Only students who meet the enrollment requirements and follow the enrollment procedures will be considered for the program.
  • Selection is based on a random selection process among eligible applicants should the number of applicants exceed available space in the program.
  • Students admitted to the Funeral Service Education program are required to have a physical examination, laboratory and licensing agencies inoculations, drug screen, and background check by the completion of the first semester of the program. Students are responsible for any costs incurred related to meeting the health requirements.
  • If a minimum number of qualified applicants are not received, enrollment will be delayed until the following semester, at which time applicants will be required to reapply.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

  • explain the importance of funeral service professionals in developing relationships with the families and communities they serve.
  • identify standards of ethical conduct in funeral service practice.
  • interpret how federal, state, and local laws apply to funeral service in order to ensure compliance.
  • apply principles of public health and safety in the handling and preparation of human remains.
  • demonstrate technical skills in embalming and restorative art that are necessary for the preparation and handling of human remains.
  • demonstrate skills required for conducting arrangement conferences, visitations, services, and ceremonies.
  • describe the requirements and procedures for burial, cremation, and other accepted forms of final disposition of human remains.
  • describe methods to address the grief-related needs of the bereaved.
  • explain management skills associated with operating a funeral establishment.
  • demonstrate verbal and written communication skills and research skills needed for funeral service practice.

Career Information

The student is eligible to take the National Board Exam and state board examination to become a licensed funeral director in California. The student also meets the criteria to take the state embalmer's examination. As an accredited mortuary college, our program goals and objectives are as follows: ·To prepare students to be members of a human services profession ·To prepare students to be members of the community in which they serve ·To be participants in the relationship between bereaved families and those engaged in the funeral service profession ·To offer professional knowledge of and compliance with federal, state, provincial/territorial, and local regulatory guidelines ·To be sensitive to the responsibility for public health, safety, and welfare in caring for human remains

Spring 2024 FSE Program

Application

One Year Program Application

Spring 2024 FSE Program

Application

Two Year Program Application