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Funeral Direction

Types of Degrees Funeral Direction Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Funeral Direction may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	53
Associate’s Degree	45
Bachelor’s Degree	80
Master’s Degree	74

What Funeral Direction Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Funeral Direction develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Funeral Direction graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Funeral Direction emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Funeral Direction program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Funeral Direction careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Funeral Direction graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.5 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Scheduling Work and Activities	4.3 / 7
Performing Administrative Activities	4.2 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Funeral Direction professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
iCIMS Talent Cloud software	Human resources software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
HMIS Advantage	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
FPA Software MACCS	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Twin Tier Technologies MIMS	Data base user interface and query software	—
Salesforce software	Customer relationship management CRM software	—
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite	Office suite software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Funeral Direction graduates include:

• Funeral Counselor
• Licensed Funeral Director
• Funeral Director
• Embalmer
• Licensed Embalmer
• Funeral Planner
• Funeral Prearrangement Counselor
• Mortician
• Cemetery Manager
• Undertaker
• Hospital Mortician
• Certified Mortician
• Funeral Arranger
• Funeral Arrangement Director
• Arranger

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Funeral Direction graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	64.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	19.1%
Bachelor’s degree	7.5%
Postsecondary certificate	5.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.0%
Some college courses	1.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Funeral Direction?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 73.4% of Funeral Direction degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	185	73.4%
Men	67	26.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Funeral Direction graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	190	75.4%
Asian	1	0.4%
Hispanic or Latino	9	3.6%
Black or African American	41	16.3%
Two or More Races	6	2.4%
Race Unknown	5	2.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Funeral Direction Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Funeral Direction graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$44,303
4 years	$46,034
5 years	$51,822

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $51,822 — roughly 17% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Funeral Direction Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Funeral Direction. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	2	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Funeral Direction Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Funeral Direction graduates earn a median of $46,034 four years after completion — roughly 21% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Funeral Service and Mortuary Science	2,676
Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, General	2,332
Mortuary Science and Embalming/Embalmer	64
Funeral Service and Mortuary Science, Other	28

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.