Assistant funeral director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an assistant funeral director. Assistant funeral directors usually study business, mortuary science, or biology. 40% of assistant funeral directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 36% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 304 real assistant funeral director resumes to see exactly what assistant funeral director education sections show.

The most common colleges for assistant funeral directors are the DeVry University and the DeVry University.

There are also many online assistant funeral director courses to help get the education required to be an assistant funeral director.

What education do you need to become an assistant funeral director?

What degree do you need to be an assistant funeral director?

The most common degree for assistant funeral directors is bachelor's degree, with 40% of assistant funeral directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 36% and associate degree degree at 14%.

Bachelor's, 40%

Associate, 36%

High School Diploma, 14%

Master's, 4%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become an assistant funeral director?

You should major in business to become an assistant funeral director. 26% of assistant funeral directors major in business. Other common majors for an assistant funeral director include mortuary science and biology.

Business, 26%

Mortuary Science, 20%

Biology, 8%

Criminal Justice, 6%

Other Majors, 40%

Most common colleges for assistant funeral directors

Assistant funeral directors often get their degrees at DeVry University, Arkansas State University, and Tyler Junior College. Here are the most common colleges for assistant funeral directors in the US based on their resumes.

Assistant funeral director common college	Percentages
DeVry University	12.90%
Arkansas State University	6.45%
Tyler Junior College	6.45%
Arapahoe Community College	6.45%
South University	6.45%

Show more common assistant funeral director colleges

Best majors for assistant funeral directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	25.8%
2	Mortuary Science	20.2%
3	Biology	8.1%
4	Criminal Justice	6.5%
5	General Studies	5.6%

Show more common assistant funeral director majors

Best colleges for assistant funeral directors

The best colleges for assistant funeral directors are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

An assistant funeral director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for assistant funeral directors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become assistant funeral directors.

1. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Point Park University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$31,450

Enrollment

3,170

6. SUNY College of Technology at Canton

Canton, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,389

Enrollment

3,127

7. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for assistant funeral directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for assistant funeral directors

The most affordable schools for assistant funeral directors are SUNY Farmingdale, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for assistant funeral directors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for assistant funeral directors.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Cost of attendance

22,990

10. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Cost of attendance

24,718

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for assistant funeral directors

The hardest universities for assistant funeral directors to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for assistant funeral directors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for assistant funeral directors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. Brandeis University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

31%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for assistant funeral directors

The easiest schools for assistant funeral directors to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, notre dame de namur university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an assistant funeral director without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for assistant funeral directors.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

8. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average assistant funeral director salary by education level

According to our data, assistant funeral directors with a Associate degree earn the highest average salary, at $43,308 annually. Assistant funeral directors with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $42,737.

Assistant funeral director education level	Assistant funeral director salary
High School Diploma or Less	$38,133
Bachelor's Degree	$42,737
Some College/ Associate Degree	$43,308

Assistant funeral director education FAQs

What is the best college for Assistant Funeral Directors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.

Search for assistant funeral director jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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