2019-2020 Course Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Funeral Services, AAS
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 Return to: Programs Available 2019-2020
The Funeral Services AAS will prepare students to work within the funeral service profession. The Funeral Services program is a field of human and community services that prepares an individual to become a funeral director.
The Funeral Services program at Des Moines Area Community College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE, 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108 Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097, www.abfse.org). The central aim of each graduate of the DMACC Funeral Services degree 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 Funeral Services Program’s Aims and Purposes are:
- To enhance the background and knowledge of students about the funeral service profession.
- To educate students in every phase of funeral service and to help them develop the proficiency and skills necessary of the profession.
- 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 curriculum at the postsecondary level of instruction.
- To encourage research in the field of funeral service.
For more information about the Funeral Services program, please visit our website at funeral.dmacc.edu.
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Location: Ankeny
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.
Students start Fall semester
Program Entry Requirements
- Complete a DMACC Admission Application.
- Satisfy DMACC’s general assessment requirement.
- Submit college transcripts of all college credits, OR if you have no college credit, submit your high school transcript or GED/HiSet scores.
- Each student must submit an admission recommendation from a licensed funeral director on a form approved by the Funeral Services program.
- Program Conference: Applicants will complete a conference with the Program Chairperson in person or via phone or video conferencing for the purpose of confirming the state in which licensure is sought and any additional requirements of that state.
- Submit all required forms to the Program office prior to registration.
- Attend any required information/registration session.
Graduation Requirements
To earn a Funeral Services AAS, a student must:
- Complete all coursework as prescribed, maintain a 2.0 grade point average.
- Earn a grade of “C” or above in all courses in the program including Anatomy.
- Complete all MOR courses, with the exception of MOR 215, through DMACC, as no MOR course will be accepted for transfer.
Total Credits Required to Complete the Mortuary Science, AAS Degree - 64*
*Total credits are calculated using the least number of credits needed to satisfy the option requirements.
Additional Information
Students who have previously completed an equivalent course in Human Anatomy or MOR 215 - Funeral Law I, (as determined by DMACC) will not be required to take it during the first semester, thus reducing the course load for the Fall semester.
DMACC does not offer any anatomy courses in the online format. Students in the funeral home-based (online) option will need to take Anatomy on campus or at another institution. If you are looking for an online course, we suggest you take BIO 161 or BIO 175 at Indian Hills Community College (www.indianhills.edu).
National Board Examination pass rates, graduation rates, and employment rates for this and other ABFSE-accredited programs are available at www.abfse.org. To request a printed copy of this program’s scores and rates, go to the DMACC Mortuary Science website at http://funeral.dmacc.edu or the DMACC Mortuary Science office, Ankeny campus, Building 17, Room 10A, or by e-mail at kepatterson@dmacc.edu, or by telephone 515-965-7171.
State licensure requirements vary from state to state. Applicants must meet all state requirements. For complete licensure requirements, contact the State Board of Professional Licensure in the state where you intend to practice. In Iowa, call 515-281-4287.
Fixed Costs
Tuition……………………………………………………………………………………..$160.00 per credit
The costs for each program are estimates and subject to change.
Varied Costs
| Costs |
Semester 1 |
Semester 2 |
Semester 3 |
Semester 4 |
Semester 5 |
Semester 6 |
| Books (approximate) |
800 |
220 |
140 |
450 |
220 |
60 |
| Clinical & Classroom Supplies |
200 |
200 |
150 |
150 |
100 |
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| Practicum/Accreditation Travel Expenses |
150 |
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150 |
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100 |
| Hepatitis B Vaccine |
200 |
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200 |
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| Online Student-Technology Fees |
425 |
475 |
175 |
325 |
325 |
200 |
| On-Campus Student-Technology Fees |
170 |
190 |
70 |
130 |
130 |
80 |
Approximate total for the program: $16,425**
**Program entry requirements are not included in the total approximate costs
What Kind of Work Will You Do?
- Consult with families and/or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details.
- Offer counsel and comfort to bereaved families and friends.
- Plan, schedule and coordinate funerals, burials and cremations.
- Obtain information needed to complete legal documents.
- Manage funeral home operations, including hiring and supervising staff or employees.
- Maintain financial records, order merchandise and prepare accounts.
- Provide information on funeral service options, products and merchandise.
- Remove remains from place of death, prepare body for cremation, or if embalming, complete restorative work, apply cosmetics, dress, and arrange body in casket in preparation for burial.
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.
- Good interpersonal skills when assisting and caring for others during counseling and consultation sessions.
- Good 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 $32,440 (2013-2014 Placement Report).
Program Competencies
This Program will..
- Describe the historical aspects of funeral service and the transition into current attitudes.
- Describe and apply contemporary trends in funeral service, including personalization.
- Describe the basic structure and function of the human body.
- Identify legal relationships, rights, duties and liabilities between the funeral director, the dead body, and the consumer.
- List the requirements of the Federal Trade Commission pertaining to the funeral profession.
- Describe current attitudes toward death and the factors which have lessened familiarity with it.
- Recognize the pre-need, at-need, and post-funeral counseling opportunities in the community.
- Be capable of transferring human remains from the place of death to the funeral home using generally accepted procedures and equipment.
- Organize and conduct mock funerals which values both religious and non-religious belief systems.
- Identify the procedure for filing the death certificate at the proper agency and obtaining related permits if required.
- Identify the procedure for properly receiving those who make a visitation to the funeral home.
- Expertly and safely perform all the duties related to the embalming procedure.
- Conduct the embalming procedure without undue damage to the remains.
- Perform those restorative arts needed to prepare the human body for public viewing and eventual interment.
- Describe funeral merchandise which is currently offered to families.
Nondiscrimination Statement
DMACC offers career and technical programs in the following areas of study:
Agriculture, National & Environmental Services /Architecture, Engineering, and Construction/Arts, Design, and Visual communications/Business, Management, and Marketing/Education, Public, and Human Services/Health Science/Hospitality and Culinary/Information Technology/Manufacturing/Transportation & Logistics
Des Moines Area Community College shall not engage in nor allow discrimination covered by law against any person, group or organization. This includes in its programs, activities, employment practices, hiring practices or the provision of services, and harassment or discrimination based on race, color, national origin, creed, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, age (in employment), disability, genetic information (in employment) and actual or potential parental, family or marital status of a person. Veteran status in educational programs, activities, employment practices, or admission procedures is also included to the extent covered by law.
Individuals who believe they have been discriminated against may file a complaint through the College Discrimination Complaint Procedure. Complaint forms may be obtained from the Campus Provost’s office, the Academic Deans’ office, the Judicial Officer, or the EEO/AA Officer, Human Resources. ADA questions and concerns may be directed to the Section 504/ADA Coordinator at 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd, Bldg 6, Ankeny, IA 50023, phone 515/964-6857, sgbittner@dmacc.edu. Title IX questions and concerns may be directed to the Title IX Coordinator at 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd, Bldg 1, Ankeny, IA 50023, phone 515/964-6216, title9@dmacc.edu. Question or complaints about this policy may be directed to the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Citigroup Center, 500 W. Madison, Suite 1475, Chicago, IL 60661, phone 312/730-1560, tax 312/730-1576..
Legal references: Iowa Code §§ 216.6 and 216.9, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S. C. §§ 2000d and 2000e), the Equal Pay Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 206, et seq.), Title IX (Educational Amendments, 20 U.S. C. §§ 1681-1688), Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S. C. § 794), and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq.).(2018)
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Return to: Programs Available 2019-2020
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