The Funeral Service Education curriculum provides students with the opportunity to become proficient in basic funeral service skills.

In addition to the general education courses offered in the curriculum, technical courses such as human anatomy, embalming theory and practice, embalming chemistry, restorative arts, funeral law, and funeral home operations are taught.

Funeral service education display

Points of Pride

  • Faculty composed of licensed funeral professionals

  • Majority of the coursework can be completed online

  • Only program of its kind in North Carolina

What to Expect:

Course Work

The Funeral Service Education curriculum provides students with the opportunity to become proficient in basic funeral service skills. In addition to the general education courses offered in the curriculum, technical courses such as human anatomy, embalming theory and practice, embalming chemistry, restorative arts, funeral law, and funeral home operations are taught.

Career Paths

Graduates of the curriculum, upon passing the state or national exam and completing an internship in a funeral home, will be qualified for employment as embalmers and/or funeral directors.

Funeral Service Education Program Objectives

The Funeral Service Education Program at Fayetteville Technical Community College and American Board of Funeral Service Education's objectives are to educate students in every phase of funeral service so that this FSE Program graduates are prepared for entry level employment in funeral service. The FSE Program has adopted the following Learning Outcomes and the student 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.

Age Limits for Courses

  • All FSE-prefixed courses, including PSY 141 will "age out" after five years
  • ACC 111/120, BUS 115, and CIS 110 will "age out" after seven years
  • BUS 230 will "age out" after ten years

Proctoring

Every FSE-prefixed course is accompanied by a midterm and final exam. These exams must be proctored by using one of these two methods:

  1. the Student Learning Center at FTCC
  2. Examity

There is no charge for using the Student Learning Center; however, Examity does incur an additional charge of $19.50 for a one-hour exam and $28.50 for a two-hour exam.

Final Capstone Course

The AAS Degree in Funeral Service Education curriculum includes a final capstone course that serves as a review for the National Board Exam. This course is a two-credit hour course and cannot be taken with any other courses. Since it is a course that is taken alone, it may not be covered under Financial Aid. This course includes two textbooks and also requires the student to purchase the Practice National Board Exam, from the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Board. The fee for the Practice National Board Exam is $120.

Additional Information & Resources

  • Anatomical Donations
  • Apprenticeship
  • Board Examination
  • Distance Learning Students
  • Funeral Service Resources

Anatomical Donations

Donation Guidelines

Schools for teaching mortuary science which are approved by the Board (NC Board of Funeral Service) shall have extended to them the same privileges as to the use of bodies for dissecting while teaching as those granted in this State to medical colleges, but such bodies shall be obtained through the same agencies which provide bodies for medical colleges. NCGS 90-210.23g

The funeral service program utilizes human remains as part of the clinical instruction in areas of embalming and restorative art.

How to Make a Donation

If you are interested in the donation program, bequeathal documents may be submitted on a pre-arrangement basis. Please complete the authorization and biographical forms, make copies for your records, fax the forms to 910.678.0169, and mail the originals to:

Funeral Service Department, FTCC
PO Box 35236
Fayetteville, NC 28303

Documents
  • Basic Donation Information
  • Authorization Sheet
  • Biographical Sheet
Stipulations for Acceptance
  1. No infections should be present at the time of death.
  2. Weight of the deceased should be no greater than 250 lbs.
  3. The deceased should have been refrigerated shortly following the death.
  4. Prearranged donations are accepted at any time, but classes should be in session. Contact should be made with the directors in order to accept non-prearranged anatomical donations.
Questions?

Contact: James Bullard
Phone: 910-678-8301
Email: bullardja@faytechcc.edu

Contact: Minda Kistner
Phone: 910-678-8525
Email: kistnerm@faytechcc.edu

Associate Degree

Funeral Service Education (A55260)

Program Length: 6 Semesters
Prerequisite: High School Diploma & Placement Test Equivalent
Award: Associate in Applied Science

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Graduates of the curriculum, upon passing the National Board Examination and completing a resident traineeship in a funeral home, will be qualified for employment as funeral directors and embalmers in any state in the nation. Note that graduates must also pass that particular state's funeral laws and rules exam, prior to gaining licensure.

Diploma

Funeral Service Education/NC Funeral Director Diploma (D55260)

Program Length: 3 Semesters
Prerequisite: High School Diploma & Placement Test Equivalent
Award: Diploma

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Graduates of the curriculum, upon passing the NC State Board Funeral Exam and completing a resident traineeship in a funeral home, will be qualified for employment as licensed funeral directors in the state of North Carolina. This license will not reciprocate to another state.