Why Choose the Funeral Services Program at NCC?
The Funeral Service Education associate degree program at Northampton Community College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), located at 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097 (www.abfse.org). The program is designed to give students a broad understanding of funeral home operation, funeral directing, public health, and embalming for their internships and careers in the field. It typically takes students six semesters to complete this associate degree. This degree can be completed at NCC's Bethlehem campus.
Funeral Service operates as a business, but also requires professionals in the field to exhibit sensitivity and compassion in dealing with bereaved families. Funeral home employees must be open-minded about the ways in which people of different faiths and cultures express their feelings and practice their beliefs.
What You’ll Learn
Students not only develop a comprehensive understanding of the preparation of a body and ceremony according to the wishes of the survivors, but also learn to prepare financial accounts, file death certificates and legal documents, and direct individuals into post-death counseling or support group activities. Our funeral service program strives to educate students on every aspect of mortuary science. NCC students in the Funeral Service Education program take a variety of classes in subjects such as accounting, philosophy, chemistry, and more. These classes include Chemistry of Life, Accounting I, and On Death and Dying. In the last couple of semesters, students take Funeral Directing, Embalming Theory, and U.S. and PA Funeral Law to prepare them for a 12-month internship.
Acceptance into the program is competitive, and applicants must have completed minimum admission requirements of high school biology and chemistry labs with a C or with an overall high school GPA of 2.5 or better.
Funeral Service Education is a fall-start clinical program. The application opens October 1 and must be completed by February 1.
This is a selective program, please carefully review all provided information and requirements.
Program Details
Semesters: 6
Credits: 94
College Catalog: View Curriculum
Program Map: Download PDF
Locations: BethlehemProgram Overview:
Funeral Service Education provides you with a comprehensive understanding of all phases of funeral service necessary to serve the bereaved in a professional and ethical manner. The need for funeral directors and embalmers will escalate over the next twenty years and the earning potential has never been better.
Semesters: 4
Credits: 61
College Catalog: View Curriculum
Program Map: Download PDF
Locations: BethlehemProgram Overview:
The Pre-funeral Service degree ensures you complete the required courses for acceptance into the Funeral Service Education program. Northampton Community College students preparing to enter the Funeral Service Education program take various classes in subject areas, including science and business. These classes include Accounting, Business Law, Business Communication, Anatomy, Chemistry, Microbiology, and Responding to the Bereaved.
The Pre-funeral Service degree is designed to meet specific state or professional needs. It is not accredited by the American Bard of Funeral Service Education. Students graduating from this program will not have the academic credential for licensure in states where gradation from an ABGSE accredited program is required.
State Licensing
If you are a Northampton Community College student living outside of Pennsylvania or intending to complete an internship or clinical placement outside of the state in a NCC program leading to professional licensure, you should review requirements on the state board website to make sure that the program qualifies.
Licensure requirements vary from state to state and you may require additional authorization from the professional licensing agency in that state. Participating in a program from outside of Pennsylvania, if not properly authorized by that state's professional licensing board, could result in loss of licensing eligibility. If you need help or have questions, please contact the Program Director for more information.
Curriculum
Students not only develop a comprehensive understanding of the preparation of a body and ceremony according to the wishes of the survivors, but also learn to prepare financial accounts, file death certificates and legal documents, and direct individuals into post-death counseling or support group activities. Our funeral service program strives to educate students on every aspect of mortuary science. Northampton Community College students in the Funeral Service Education program take a variety of classes in subjects such as accounting, philosophy, chemistry, and more. These classes include Chemistry of Life, Accounting I, and On Death and Dying. In the last couple of semesters, students take Funeral Directing, Embalming Theory, and U.S. and PA Funeral Law to prepare them for a 12-month internship.
