Mortuary Science
Types of Degrees Mortuary Science Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many funeral & mortuary science graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Associate Degree | 1,656 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 373 |
Basic Certificate | 220 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 202 |
What Mortuary Science Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to mortuary science were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
Knowledge Areas for Mortuary Science Majors
According to O*NET survey takers, a major in mortuary science should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Skills for Mortuary Science Majors
When studying mortuary science, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Abilities for Mortuary Science Majors
A major in mortuary science will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
What Can You Do With a Mortuary Science Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with mortuary science:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Funeral Service Managers | 7.0% | $79,180 |
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Directors | 3.8% | $52,650 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Mortuary Science?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of mortuary science majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 2 |
Black or African American | 22 |
Hispanic or Latino | 12 |
White | 148 |
International Students | 0 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 18 |
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Mortuary Science
Some careers associated with mortuary science require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to mortuary science have obtained the following education levels.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 3.0% |
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) | 9.4% |
Some College Courses | 2.7% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 64.0% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 13.5% |
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 4.0% |
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. | 4.5% |
Online Mortuary Science Programs
The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
---|---|---|
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 20 | 6 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 2 | 1 |
Associate’s Degree | 66 | 6 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Post-Master’s | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
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Majors Related to Mortuary Science
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to mortuary science.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Cosmetology | 132,103 |
Culinary Arts | 22,680 |
Casino Operations and Services | 619 |
Other Personal & Culinary Services | 84 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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