Funeral Service Education

Funeral Service Education, AAS Prerequisites and Admission Requirements

1. Recommended: Attended a program information session. See Information Session tab below.
   
2. High school completion or GED or satisfactory completion of nine semester based or 13.5 quarter based post-secondary credits, exclusive of developmental courses. Have your high school or previous college directly mail official transcripts to:
   • Enrollment Services
     Lake Washington Institute of Technology
     11605 132nd Avenue NE
     Kirkland, WA 98034
     
3. Entry into the Funeral Service Education program requires completion of both:
   1. LWTech's general online application
   2. Entrance Requirements for Funeral Service Education form
      • After submission of this form, the college will contact you by email with further directions.

Funeral Service Education program educational requirements are available in the College Catalog.

Additional Requirements 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 requirements:

1. Complete the Online Learning For Me? questionnaire
2. Meet with either the Dean or Funeral Service Education faculty member. Their contact information is listed on the left side of this webpage.

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.
• Upon application, students will choose either the on-campus or online option. Students will not be allowed to toggle between online and face-to-face delivery options.
• Students must attend a virtual mandatory orientation before the first day of the quarter. If individuals miss this orientation date, they will be dropped from FSE courses. 

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 Associate of Applied Science in Funeral Service Education 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.