Funeral director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a funeral director. Funeral directors usually study mortuary science, business, or general studies. 48% of funeral directors hold a associate degree, and 35% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 1,952 real funeral director resumes to see exactly what funeral director education sections show.

The most common colleges for funeral directors are the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.

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

What education do you need to become a funeral director?

What degree do you need to be a funeral director?

The most common degree for funeral directors is associate degree, with 48% of funeral directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 35% and bachelor's degree degree at 7%.

Associate, 48%

Bachelor's, 35%

High School Diploma, 7%

Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a funeral director?

You should major in mortuary science to become a funeral director. 49% of funeral directors major in mortuary science. Other common majors for a funeral director include business and general studies.

Mortuary Science, 49%

Business, 15%

General Studies, 4%

Psychology, 4%

Other Majors, 28%

Most common colleges for funeral directors

Funeral directors often get their degrees at Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, Wayne State University, and Mid-America College of Funeral Service. Here are the most common colleges for funeral directors in the US based on their resumes.

Funeral director common college	Percentages
Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science	15.05%
Wayne State University	9.68%
Mid-America College of Funeral Service	9.14%
Cypress College	8.60%
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	6.45%

Show more common funeral director colleges

Best majors for funeral directors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Mortuary Science	49.4%
2	Business	15.4%
3	General Studies	4.0%
4	Psychology	4.0%
5	Criminal Justice	3.4%

Show more common funeral director majors

Best colleges for funeral directors

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

A 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 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 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 funeral directors

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Top 10 most affordable universities for funeral directors

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

If the best universities for 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 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 funeral directors

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

Some great schools for 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 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 funeral directors

The easiest schools for 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 a 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 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 funeral director salary by education level

Funeral directors with a Associate degree earn more than those without, at $41,898 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, funeral directors earn a median annual income of $41,485 compared to $38,102 for funeral directors with an High School Diploma degree.

Funeral director education level	Funeral director salary
High School Diploma or Less	$38,102
Bachelor's Degree	$41,485
Some College/ Associate Degree	$41,898

Funeral director education FAQs

What is the best college for Funeral Directors?

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

Search for 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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