What degree do you need to be a funeral director?

You need an associate in mortuary science degree to be a funeral director. An associate's degree in science or art is sometimes also acceptable. To be on the safe side, though, you should choose a program that is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) due to the fact that many states require accreditation before you can get the license you need to become a funeral director.

How To Become A Funeral Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is a funeral director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Jzyk Ennis Ph.D.

The job of a funeral director is to coordinate and perform funeral rites. He/She collaborates with the family of the deceased to make funeral arrangements. He/She also directs and oversees the work of embalmers, death certificate clerks, funeral attendants, cosmetologists, and other staff. The director monitors funeral service operations to ensure compliance with necessary policies and laws. Additionally, he/she prepares obituary notices and distributes them as directed by the family to media outlets. As the funeral director, you are responsible for completing and keeping important records like state-required documents or product inventories.

To become a funeral director, you need at least an associate's degree in mortuary science. You must also have some of the following licenses: funeral director license, embalming license, driver's license, etc. You must possess negotiation, communication, time management, organization, customer service, heavy lifting, and computer skills. Funeral directors are referred to as morticians or undertakers. A funeral director makes about $50,377 annually.

What general advice would you give to a funeral director?

Dr. Jzyk Ennis Ph.D.

President, American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE)

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly been an interesting time for all of education. To the specific question about employment forecasts, there is a significant need for licensed funeral service professionals across the United States. Before the pandemic, there are many areas that cannot find licensed help to fill the employment vacancies created by those who are retiring. Data for 2020 will not be collected and analyzed until 2021.

At this time, we have no reason to believe that the number of new enrollees and graduates in our ABFSE accredited programs will be significantly impacted by the pandemic in 2020. What we do as funeral professionals, and the job function of graduates in 2020 (and beyond), has not really changed due to the pandemic. We still care for the living by taking care of the dead. We always teach (and businesses should practice) universal precautions by wearing personal protective equipment when in contact with decedents. We teach our students to treat every decedent as if they had an infectious disease to protect their own health. While no research has been conducted, I do believe that funeral service professionals are more at-risk in the pandemic with contact they may have with the living rather than the dead.

In summary, the outlook for licensed funeral service professionals is strong. The basic job function of our graduates is the same as before the pandemic, and the American Board of Funeral Service accredited funeral service education programs continue to prepare graduates for licensed funeral service practice during this pandemic and beyond.

ScoreFuneral DirectorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,048

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.20%

Asian 1.75%

Black or African American 11.89%

Hispanic or Latino 6.53%

Unknown 2.57%

White 77.04%

Gender

female 35.29%

male 64.71%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

1.3

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a funeral director

Explore funeral director education requirements

Most common funeral director degrees

Associate

48.1 %

Bachelor's

35.0 %

High School Diploma

6.7 %

Start to develop specific funeral director skills

Skills	Percentages
Client Families	22.81%
Veterans	20.62%
Compassion	18.89%
Funeral Homes	16.16%
SCI	13.87%

Complete relevant funeral director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New funeral directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a funeral director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real funeral director resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed funeral director usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you don't need to pass an exam to become a licensed funeral director in most of states. 41 states require funeral directors to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	-	Licensed Funeral Director
Maryland	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	FUNERAL DIRECTOR
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Funeral Director
California	Degree required	State exam required	Funeral Director
Connecticut	-	-	Funeral Director

Research funeral director duties and responsibilities

Manage subordinates, facilities and MSDS files.
Greet them with empathy and compassion, conveying to family members that their every need will be meet.
Escort families to proper burial locations to include; scheduling with appropriate service component regarding ceremonies that are bestow to veterans.
Provide financial oversight, including budget development, expense management, and financial analysis.

Get funeral director experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a funeral director. The most common roles before becoming a funeral director include embalmer/funeral director, apprentice funeral director team lead and apprentice.

Prepare your funeral director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your funeral director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a funeral director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable funeral director resume templates

Build a professional funeral director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your funeral director resume.