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Studies & Degrees in Mortuary Science

Mortuary science, also called funeral service education, prepares people to care for the dead and to organise funerals for the families they leave behind. It joins three kinds of knowledge: the science needed to prepare a body, the law and business of running a funeral home, and the human skills needed to work with grieving people. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes funeral service workers as people who organise and manage the details of a ceremony honouring a deceased person.

The curriculum of the Bachelor of Science in Mortuary Science at Wayne State University in Detroit shows the usual mix of subjects:

  • embalming and thanatochemistry
  • anatomy, microbiology and pathology
  • restorative art
  • funeral directing and preparation for disposition
  • psychology of death and dying; religions, values and death
  • funeral service law and ethics
  • funeral service management, accounting, marketing and merchandising
  • practicum periods

Qualifications and levels

In the United States the subject is a formal college programme. According to the BLS, an associate's degree in funeral service or mortuary science is the education typically required, and most accredited programmes are two-year associate's degrees at community colleges. Some programmes award a bachelor's degree.

  • Associate's degree. Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York, teaches a Mortuary Science Associate in Applied Science (AAS). Many of its courses are offered online. Students must pass the national or state board examination to receive the degree, and a prospective New York funeral director must then serve one year as a registered resident before being licensed.
  • Bachelor's degree. At Wayne State University the professional curriculum has 56 semester credits. Applicants need at least 64 semester credits of prerequisites and general education first, which makes 120 credits for the degree. The programme is offered in traditional, online and hybrid formats.
  • Accreditation. The American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) is the national accreditation agency for college and university programmes in funeral service and mortuary science. Its accrediting function is recognised by the US Department of Education.
  • Licence. Most US states require a licence. The BLS lists the usual conditions: being 21 years old, completing an accredited programme, passing a state or national board exam, and serving an internship of one to three years. Working in several states requires several licences.

In Spain the field is known as tanatopraxia and tanatoestética. The national catalogue of professional qualifications includes the qualification Tanatopraxia (code SAN491_3), which covers hygienic and aesthetic care of the deceased, temporary conservation, embalming, and restoration or reconstruction. Centres such as Churruca Formación teach it in professional training courses. Ask each centre what recognition its certificate has.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists four active schools for mortuary science: three in the United States and one in Spain. The US schools are Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where the programme has run since 1939, Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York, and Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa. Teaching is in English, and Wayne State requires a TOEFL score from applicants whose first language is not English.

The Spanish school is Churruca Formación in San Sebastián. Its course in tanatoestética and funeral management covers the history of embalming, post-mortem changes, tanatopraxia step by step, and cosmetics and presentation, with practice in funeral homes. The school states on its own page that its courses are not official and do not give academic credit or access to further studies; it describes them as professional training for work in private centres.

Because licences are issued state by state in the United States, international students should ask the programme and the state licensing board whether a foreign national can complete the internship and be licensed.

Careers

Graduates work as funeral directors, morticians, embalmers and funeral arrangers, and with experience as funeral home managers. Funeral service workers held about 61,500 jobs in the United States in 2025, according to the BLS. Morticians, undertakers and funeral arrangers held about 26,700 of them, 93% in death care services, and funeral home managers about 34,800, of whom 58% were self-employed.

The BLS projects overall employment of funeral service workers to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,600 openings each year. The work involves being on call, and irregular hours, including evenings and weekends, are common.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a mortuary science degree take?

Most accredited programmes in the United States are two-year associate's degrees. A bachelor's degree such as the one at Wayne State University requires 120 semester credits. Licensing usually adds an internship of one to three years.

Is mortuary science the same as embalming?

No. Embalming is one part of it. Programmes also cover restorative art, funeral directing, law and ethics, grief psychology and the management of a funeral business.

Can I study mortuary science in Spain?

In Spain the field is taught as tanatopraxia and tanatoestética, in professional training courses such as the one at Churruca Formación, and the national catalogue describes a professional qualification in Tanatopraxia. Ask the centre what recognition its course has.