Funeral Service Education

Funeral Service Education, AAS Prerequisites and Admission Requirements

The Funeral Service Education Program is filled on a first-register, first-in system. In order to enroll in the first quarter of the Funeral Service Education Program, you must have all pre-requisite courses completed or be in progress at LWTech to be eligible. If you receive a grade of less than 2.0 at completion of your in-progress classes, you will be removed automatically from the FSE classes before the quarter begins.

Below is a detailed list of all the requirements to enter the first quarter courses for the Funeral Service Education program at LWTech. Funeral Service Education program admissions course prerequisites are listed in the College Catalog and below:

1. Students must have completed the following classes with a 2.0 or higher, or be in progress with these classes at LWTech, in order to register for first quarter FSE classes:
• BIOL&175 Human Biology with Lab – 5cr 
• ENGL&101 English Composition I - 5 credits
• MATH&107 Math in Society (or any college-level MATH course with intermediate algebra as the prerequisite) - 5 credits

Steps to Apply to the FSE Program

1. Complete general college application to LWTech
2. Send official transcripts of all completed pre-requisite courses to LWTech
3. Recommended: Attended a program information session. See Information Session tab below.
4. If any pre-requisite courses are incomplete, meet with an advisor to make a plan to register for them at LWTech.
5. Once all pre-requisites are completed (or you are enrolled in the final pre-requisite courses), students may register for fall quarter FSE courses (FSE 101, FSE 130, FSE 103, BUS&201) on their own or with the support of an advisor. Please note that students will not be allowed to toggle between online and face-to-face delivery options. 
6. All students registered for first quarter FSE courses for Fall 2024 must attend a required orientation that will take place virtually on Teams on Monday, September 9, 2024 at 1 p.m. Students registered for these courses will be emailed a link to this required meeting. Attendance of this orientation is mandatory.

Additional Requirements and Information for FSE AAS Degree Online Program

The Funeral Service Education AAS program is offered in an online format.  On-campus labs will be required in the last quarter of instruction for one week. Additional off-site lab participation is also required. See below for details.

If you are interested in this online track you must complete the following additional requirement:

1. Complete the Online Learning For Me? questionnaire

Additional Online Program Information and Requirements

• Students should not be enrolled in these courses unless they are self-motivated, hard-working, and have sufficient computer skills (formatting, editing, uploading, downloading, navigating, etc.) and convenient daily access to a personal computer with a reliable internet connection.

Embalming and Restorative Art Labs

• Embalming cases may be completed with an approved sponsored funeral home or the LWTech embalming lab.
  • Embalming courses FSE 251, FSE 261, and FSE 271 will be completed at an off-site facility where the student has been accepted to complete embalming cases under a licensed preceptor.
  • The FSE program has many affiliation agreements with funeral homes across Washington State, however, It is not the college’s responsibility to place students at a funeral establishment.
  • An FSE faculty member must inspect the Clinical site, and the preceptor must be trained before clinical hours may be documented.
  • Students must have their embalming internship license through the state of Washington before FSE 251.
• Program Lab Completion Requirements:
  • Student Must Complete an embalming certification in front of a qualified faculty member.
• Restorative Art and Embalming Competencies:
  • Student must complete a one week on-campus in the third week of the student’s final quarter in the program.
  • The student can expect to be on campus Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Students will participate in a Restorative Art Lab, Embalm, in front of a qualified faculty member and complete the NBE comprehensive practice exam.

Students are responsible for travel, including food/lodging.

Funeral Service Education AAS Learning Outcomes

The central objective of the Funeral Service Education AAS degree at Lake Washington Institute of Technology is to educate students in every phase of funeral service so that program graduates are prepared for entry-level employment in funeral service.

In support of this objective the following are the Program Learning Outcomes:

• 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.

See National Board Examination scores, graduation and employment rates.

Careers With a Funeral Service Education AAS Degree

Graduates may find employment in: crematory and cemetery operations, funeral home management in family owned businesses and corporate business. It will also allow for employment in other Health Sciences professions that desire funeral industry experience.

Graduates of the Funeral Service Education program will demonstrate a factual, conceptual, and applied understanding of:

• Funeral service marketing and merchandising
• Business management practices
• Small business management
• Funeral service counseling
• Regulatory compliance
• Cemetery and crematory operations
• Funeral service sciences

Our faculty believe that success in the program requires a commitment of time and energy to your studies. To help with this requirement, the college offers an advisor to assist with planning your path and career goals.

The Funeral Service associate degree program at Lake Washington Institute of Technology is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097 (816) 233-3747. Web: abfse.org

The certificate of completion is not accredited by the ABFSE. This academic program is designed to meet specific state or professional needs. It is not accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education. Students graduating from this program are not eligible to take the National Board Examination or any state board examination for which graduation from an ABFSE accredited program is required.

All FSE faculty are held to rigorous employment standards that include following both FSE professional ethics and State of WA requirements regardless of classroom modality.