Funeral Services, AAS

Location: Ankeny, Online

Pathway: Public & Community Services

This program offers a funeral home-based option. This option allows students to take many courses online with a few courses requiring meetings at the Ankeny campus.

Semester 1: - Any 3 credits Credits: 3 - Any 3 credits Credits: 3 - Any 3 credits Credits: 3 - Any 3 credits Credits: 3

Total Credits Required to Complete the Funeral Services, AAS Degree - 64*

What Skills and Abilities Will You Need?: - Time management skills of one's own time and the time of others. - Effective oral and written communication skills. - Decision-making and problem-solving skills. - Ability to direct and coordinate the activities of employees to accomplish work tasks. - Interpersonal skills when assisting and caring for others during counseling and consultation sessions. - Understanding of the procedures for preparing human remains for funeral, burial, and cremation. - Be able to lift 50 pounds.

What Else Should I Consider about this Degree program?: - The DMACC Mortuary Science program has two instructional delivery options: Funeral home-based program (which requires a funeral home affiliation and utilizes meetings on campus and online courses) and On-campus (which utilizes classroom, online and clinical instruction). - Students in the funeral home based program are required to complete two on-campus residency requirements for a period of 2-5 days each in Ankeny, Iowa. - Each student must begin the Hepatitis B vaccine series prior to entering the embalming clinical. - In most states an internship under the direction of a licensed funeral director is required following completion of the Mortuary Science program. - Anticipated starting salary $35,000 (2014-2015 Placement Report).

Program Competencies: The central objective of the DMACC Mortuary Science Program is to educate students in every phase of funeral service and thus prepare the Graduates for entry-level employment in funeral service. In support of this objective, the Mortuary Science Program has adopted the following competencies (learning outcomes): - 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.