Funeral service manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a funeral service manager. Funeral service managers usually study mortuary science, business, or education. 38% of funeral service managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 38% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 23 real funeral service manager resumes to see exactly what funeral service manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for funeral service managers are the University of Kentucky and the University of Kentucky.

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

What education do you need to become a funeral service manager?

What degree do you need to be a funeral service manager?

The most common degree for funeral service managers is bachelor's degree, with 38% of funeral service managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 38% and associate degree degree at 19%.

Bachelor's, 38%

Associate, 38%

High School Diploma, 19%

Master's, 6%

What should I major in to become a funeral service manager?

You should major in mortuary science to become a funeral service manager. 19% of funeral service managers major in mortuary science. Other common majors for a funeral service manager include business and education.

Mortuary Science, 19%

Business, 13%

Education, 13%

Psychology, 6%

Other Majors, 49%

Most common colleges for funeral service managers

Funeral service managers often get their degrees at University of Kentucky, Temple University, and Purdue University. Here are the most common colleges for funeral service managers in the US based on their resumes.

Funeral service manager common college	Percentages
University of Kentucky	14.29%
Temple University	14.29%
Purdue University	14.29%
Cypress College	14.29%
Southern New Hampshire University	14.29%

Show more common funeral service manager colleges

Best majors for funeral service managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Mortuary Science	18.8%
2	Business	12.5%
3	Education	12.5%
4	Psychology	6.3%
5	Liberal Arts	6.3%

Show more common funeral service manager majors

Best colleges for funeral service managers

The best colleges for funeral service managers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A funeral service manager 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 service managers. 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 service managers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

9. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

20 best online courses for funeral service managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Start Improving Customer Service

4.8

(2,040)

Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...

2. Customer Service Basics: Improve your Service now

4.5

(889)

The basic golden rules to kickstart your service...

3. Customer Service Foundation

4.5

(290)

An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...

4. SAP Customer Service (CS/SM) - Service Management module

4.4

(960)

Real World SAP CS and SD, Repair Orders, Service Orders, Service Contracts...

5. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

4.7

(18,204)

Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

6. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

4.5

(941)

Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

7. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

4.4

(313)

Customer Care Listening Great Customer Service Concern for Others Company Culture Engaging People Responding...

8. Customer Service

4.6

(11,267)

How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...

9. Customer Service: 6 Keys To Exceptional Customer Service

4.6

(601)

Master Customer Satisfaction & Astonish Your Customers With A+ Customer Service...

10. Introduction to Service Management with ITIL 4

4.5

(55,939)

Learn about service management, four dimensions, guiding principles, service value system, and ITSM best practices...

11. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

4.5

(3,956)

Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

12. Outstanding Customer Service - The Ultimate Guide!

4.5

(292)

Unlocking the Powerful Secrets of OUTSTANDING Customer Service - Transform Your Business!...

13. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

4.5

(3,822)

Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

14. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

4.6

(2,666)

Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

15. IT Service Management with ITIL 4 Foundation -Full Training

4.1

(1,604)

Learn about ITIL 4, ITSM, Concepts of Service Management, the Four Dimensions, Service Value System and Practices...

16. Operations Management: Supply Chains, Products and Services

4.3

(833)

Master Supply Chain Management and Product and Service Development in Manufacturing and Service Organizations...

17. Customer Service: Keep 'em coming back!

4.5

(3,150)

How to give the best customer service in your industry and keep those customers raving about your business...

18. Customer Service Success: Take Your Skills to the Next Level

4.5

(2,276)

3-in-1 Customer Service Training: Levels 1, 2, 3 Improve Your Soft Communication Skills, Customer Support & Experience...

19. Your Customer Service Toolbox: Best Practices for Beginners

4.5

(4,101)

Excel as a front-line customer service agent using problem-solving & relationship-building skills, etiquette, and more...

20. Product and Service Management

4.7

(957)

Know the Work that is Involved in Getting a Product Onto the Shelf and a Service Ready for Effective Delivery...

Top 10 most affordable universities for funeral service managers

The most affordable schools for funeral service managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for funeral service managers 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 service managers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

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. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

8. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for funeral service managers

The hardest universities for funeral service managers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for funeral service managers 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 service managers 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

5. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for funeral service managers

The easiest schools for funeral service managers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a funeral service manager 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 service managers.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

4. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

5. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

9. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

10. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

Average funeral service manager salary by education level

Funeral service managers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $86,944 annually. With a Master's degree, funeral service managers earn a median annual income of $82,641 compared to $75,418 for funeral service managers with an Bachelor's degree.

Funeral service manager education level	Funeral service manager salary
Master's Degree	$82,641
High School Diploma or Less	$61,903
Bachelor's Degree	$75,418
Doctorate Degree	$86,944
Some College/ Associate Degree	$64,411

Funeral service manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Funeral Service Managers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

Search for funeral service manager 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

Browse executive management jobs