Mortuary Science-Advanced Standing Diploma

The Mortuary Science program will prepare students who have earned a minimum of an Associate Degree to work within the funeral service profession. The Mortuary Science program is a field of human and community services that prepares an individual to become a funeral director.

The Mortuary Science program at Des Moines Area Community College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE, 3414 Ashland Ave., Suite G, St. Joseph, MO 64506, www.abfse.org).

The central aim of each graduate of the DMACC Mortuary Science program is to recognize that they are community members who are sensitive to their responsibility for public health, safety and welfare in caring for human remains. As members of the human services profession, graduates must be knowledgeable of and compliant with federal, state and local regulations, as they participate in the relationship between themselves and the bereaved families they serve.

The Mortuary Science Aims and Purposes are:

1. To enhance the background and knowledge of students about the funeral service profession.
2. To educate students in every phase of funeral service and to help them develop the proficiency and skills necessary of the profession.
3. To educate students concerning the responsibilities of the funeral service profession to the community at large.
4. To emphasize high standards of ethical conduct.
5. To provide a curriculum at the postsecondary level of instruction.
6. To encourage research in the field of funeral service.
7. To provide students the business and legal knowledge, philosophical/ ethical principles, and specific techniques and skills to enable them to be successful within the funeral service profession.
8. To educate and prepare individuals for active contribution to the service and welfare of their communities.

For more information about the Mortuary Science program, please visit our website at funeral.dmacc.edu.

Location: Ankeny

Program Entry Requirements

1. Complete an application for admission.
2. Satisfy DMACC’s general assessment requirement.
3. Attend any required information/registration session.
4. 1. Submit a transcript of all completed college work that indicates the awarding of a minimum of an Associate degree (AA, AS, AAS, AGS) from a regionally accredited college or university, or
   2. Submit a transcript of all completed college work that indicates having earned a minimum of 64 college credits from a regionally accredited college or university with a grade point average of “C” or above.
5. Submit evidence of a minimum of 15 credits earned in general education core. This includes one Communications course, one Mathematics or Science course and one Social & Behavioral Sciences or Humanities course. A list of courses that meet general education core requirements can be found in the DMACC catalog or at the Mortuary Science program website at funeral.dmacc.edu.
6. Each student must submit an admission recommendation from a licensed funeral director on a form approved by the Mortuary Science program.

Classes start Fall semester only.

Graduation Requirements

To earn a Mortuary Science-Advanced Standing Diploma, a student must complete all coursework as prescribed, maintain a 2.0 grade point average, and earn a grade of “C” or above in all courses in the program including Anatomy.

To complete the program in the minimum number of semesters allowed by accreditation standards and state laws, students may complete the required human anatomy course (BIO 733  or BIO 164 ) and MOR 215 - Funeral Law I  prior to admission to the Mortuary Science program. If these courses have not been taken prior to admission to the program, the student will register for an anatomy course and Funeral Law I during the Fall semester of the program.