Funeral Service

When many think about the funeral industry, they may imagine it’s a cold and dark field to work in, but the skills required for the job are much closer to that of a counselor or makeup artist in many ways. Professionals in this field strive to honor and celebrate life, carefully restoring and preserving the body, and providing compassion and console to family members and friends as they are gathered to remember the deceased. This unique funeral service degree at Eastwick College can be completed in as little as 24 months, significantly quicker than other programs offered in the area, and prepares you to enter the workforce in the capacity of a licensed practitioner, including positions in embalming, funeral directing, funeral arrangement, and various positions in a medical examiner’s office.

Eastwick’s College Associate in Applied Science in Funeral Service program is designed to prepare the student to enter the workforce in the capacity of a funeral service intern, which includes embalming, funeral directing, funeral arrangement, pre-need, and other related funeral service jobs.

Upon successful completion of the program, Eastwick College will award the student an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Funeral Service.

Licensure Information. In New Jersey, graduates of the program must meet the licensure requirements of N.J.A.C. 13:36-3.1, which include graduation from a program accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education, passing scores on the National Board Exam (administered by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards) as well as the Mortuary Jurisprudence Examination and the Practical Examination (administered by the New Jersey State Board of Mortuary Science).

Facilities. The funeral service laboratory includes equipment and supplies for the demonstration of embalming procedures. A classroom also contains a casket/vault/cremation urn display room.

• Learn how to restore the body through embalming and other procedures in fully-equipped laboratory classrooms
• Prepare for a career in funeral directing, funeral arrangement, and positions in a medical examiner’s office
• 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.
• members of a human services profession;
• members of the community in which they serve;
• participants in the relationship between bereaved families and members of the funeral service profession;
• practitioners of who are knowledgeable of local, state, and federal regulations as they pertain to the geographic area where they practice;
• professionals who are sensitive to the responsibility for public health, safety, and welfare in caring for human remains.
• To develop and expand the background and knowledge of students about the funeral service profession.
• To educate students in every phase of funeral service and to help enable them to develop proficiency and skills necessary for the profession, as defined by ABFSE.
• To educate students concerning the responsibilities of the funeral service profession to the community at large.
• To emphasize high standards of ethical conduct.
• To provide a quality curriculum at the associate degree level that is comparable to that of quality funeral service education programs and exceeds regulatory requirements.
• To encourage student and faculty research in the field of funeral service.
• To provide a firm base of general education encompassing basic skills relevant to funeral service practice in a variety of funeral business and professional settings.
• members of a human services profession;
• members of the community in which they serve;
• participants in the relationship between bereaved families and members of the funeral service profession;
• practitioners of who are knowledgeable of local, state, and federal regulations as they pertain to the geographic area where they practice;
• professionals who are sensitive to the responsibility for public health, safety, and welfare in caring for human remains.
• To develop and expand the background and knowledge of students about the funeral service profession.
• To educate students in every phase of funeral service and to help enable them to develop proficiency and skills necessary for the profession, as defined by ABFSE.
• To educate students concerning the responsibilities of the funeral service profession to the community at large.
• To emphasize high standards of ethical conduct.
• To provide a quality curriculum at the associate degree level that is comparable to that of quality funeral service education programs and exceeds regulatory requirements.
• To encourage student and faculty research in the field of funeral service.
• To provide a firm base of general education encompassing basic skills relevant to funeral service practice in a variety of funeral business and professional settings.

For admission to Eastwick College, applicants must interview with an admissions representative to obtain information about curriculum characteristics and professional profiles of our programs in each of their areas of interest. Applicants who determine that an Eastwick program is right for them must submit proof of high school completion or GED equivalency, complete an application for admission, and take an admission exam. The director of admissions oversees the admission process, and the campus director makes the final decision for acceptance.

Applicants who meet the admission requirements for the program will be admitted into the program and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis to the next available start date in the applicant’s preferred (day or evening) session.

Students in programs that include practicum, clinical, fieldwork, or externship experience must meet all health requirements to be eligible to start their rotations, and criminal background checks will be completed on all such students.

Program length (catalog): 24 Months, Full-Time (Day); 27 Months, Part-Time (Evening); 124 quarter credits.

Eastwick College’s classes meet Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Classes may also be offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to meet academic requirements or address special group needs. Clinical and laboratory experiences may have earlier starting times and later ending times and may also be offered on Saturdays and Sundays.

The school year is divided into four 12-week terms.

Externship experiences require a full-time schedule during the workweek.

Eastwick College has four start dates per calendar year in both the day and evening sessions: late January, late April, late July or early August, and late October.

According to the 2026 academic calendar, the Fall Term starts October 19, 2026 and ends January 9, 2027.

Cost of Attendance. Tuition is $350 per quarter credit for 124 quarter credits, for total tuition of $43,400. The application fee is $25 and the registration fee is $100; books and supplies are $2,228, for a total cost of $45,753 (Schedule of Tuition and Fees effective July 1, 2026; subject to change). The cost of tuition does not include the cost of transportation to and from school.

Financing Your Education. Financial aid is available for those who qualify.

• Eastwick College Payment Plan: Quarterly or monthly payments. Cash, checks, and money orders, as well as American Express, Discover, Visa and Master Card charges are accepted.
• Pell Grant: Based on need; grants for the 2025 - 2026 Aid Year range from $767 - $7,395 per academic year. To apply for Title IV aid, a student must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• New Jersey Tuition Aid Grant (TAG): degree-seeking students who have lived in New Jersey at least twelve consecutive months may be considered; students must attend full-time.
• Federal Direct Subsidized Loan: If you qualify, you may borrow $3,500 for the first academic year.
• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan: If qualified, an independent student may borrow up to $6,000 per academic year.
• FSEOG: awards range from $100 to $4,000 per year depending on the student’s financial aid need.
• Parental Loan (PLUS), College Ave, NJ Class and EdvestinU private loans for those who qualify.
• NJ-GIVS: A State of New Jersey scholarship that will pay up to $2,000 per year to eligible New Jersey residents for the cost of enrollment in an eligible certificate program.
• Scholarships awarded by the Eastwick Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.
• Eastwick College Book Grant: a book and laptop grant applied as a tuition/book discount each term for students in good financial standing.
• Waiver of application and registration fees: prospective students may be eligible under the Policy on Application and Registration Fees.

Eastwick College Hackensack is approved to train eligible veterans under Title 38, US Code. Federal School Code (FAFSA) for Eastwick College Hackensack: 012462. Net Price Calculator.

Career paths named by the school.

• Funeral service intern
• Embalming
• Funeral directing
• Funeral arrangement
• Pre-need

ACCSC Student Achievement (2025 Annual Report, updated December 7, 2025).

• Evening session: cohort of 24 students, graduation rate 61%, employment rate 100%.

Licensure Examination Pass Rate (2024 Student Achievement Information, updated September 16, 2026). 53% (Arts) / 39% (Sciences), 3-year average.

ABFSE Program Outcomes.

• 2025: 79 total enrolled, 16 graduates, timely graduation 14/16, graduation rate 57%, 100% overall employed, 100% employed in funeral service.
• 2024: 56 total enrolled, 20 graduates, timely graduation 20/20, graduation rate 41%, 100% overall employed, 100% employed in funeral service.
• 2023: 66 total enrolled, 16 graduates, timely graduation 15/16, graduation rate 63%, 100% overall employed, 94% employed in funeral service.
• National Board Exam 2025: Arts 11 takers, school pass rate 64% (national 78%); Sciences 10 takers, school pass rate 30% (national 71%).
• National Board Exam 2024: Arts 16 takers, 50% (national 78%); Sciences 14 takers, 43% (national 73%).

While we strive to provide students with the best tools to prepare for their careers, we cannot and do not guarantee employment.

New student orientation. Attendance at an orientation session for new students is required before starting a program and is held prior to the beginning of each term. College staff present institutional regulations and distribute schedules, and orientation gives new students the opportunity to become familiar with the campus and to meet informally with other new students. Programs with specialized accreditation may require additional orientation activities.

Class schedule. Eastwick College's classes meet Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Classes may also be offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to meet academic requirements or address special group needs. Clinical and laboratory experiences may have earlier starting times and later ending times and may also be offered on weekends. The school year is divided into four 12-week terms, except for the evening Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology program, which is offered in 8-week modules.

Class size. Lecture courses have a maximum of 90 students. The maximum number of students in a laboratory varies with the setting, with a maximum of 10 students for each laboratory instructor.

Dress code. No dress code is required for either the day or evening division, but students are asked to use good judgment and dress in accordance with the business setting. Medical and nursing students must dress in compliance with OSHA regulations to attend laboratory activities, and students at clinical sites must meet the dress code requirements of the affiliated institutions.

Attendance. Lateness and excessive absences are strongly discouraged; documented absences may be justified only for illness or other unavoidable reasons. Instructors explain the attendance policy for each course in the syllabus, and failing to meet attendance requirements in a course with a clinical or laboratory component may result in a failing grade. Students are withdrawn after an absence of 14 consecutive calendar days.

Graduation. To graduate, students must pass all subjects in the prescribed curriculum, earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 (2.5 in the Bilingual Licensed Practical Nursing, Licensed Practical Nursing, AAS in Nursing [LPN-to-RN Bridge] and BS in Nursing [LPN-to-BSN] programs), and obtain authorization from the financial aid department.