Mesa Community College requires students to complete prerequisite classes in English, math, science, computers, accounting and business before entering the two-semester, 32-credit-hour mortuary science program. After completing mortuary science classes, students must pass a national board exam and complete a one-year internship at a funeral home before taking a state board exam to become licensed as an embalmer. One year later they can take the state funeral director exam and, upon passing, become eligible for licensure as a funeral director.
What does a funeral director do?
• Remove the deceased to a mortuary
• Prepare the remains (if also an embalmer)
• Meet with families and make arrangements
• Plan logistics of the ceremony, coordinate all the services needed, including: obituary notices, clergy, pallbearers, transportation for mourners and flowers.
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• Coordinate with the cemetery, or make arrangements for out-of-state burials
• Prepare paperwork and file legal documents
• Direct the funeral service
• Work with families who want to plan their funerals in advance
• Work long and often irregular hours in a stressful atmosphere
For more information about the Mesa Community College Mortuary Science Program, go to www.mesacc.edu
SOURCE: www.azfda.org
