Course Planning

Funeral Students have two tracks:

In-person: Attend funeral classes on the Bridgewater campus and general education courses via zoom (remote attendance at set meeting time) or online (no meeting time).  Students may occasionally attend didactic (lecture based) courses via zoom to accommodate life circumstances, and are required to attend practical days for designated courses in-person.  Some classes are in the field (embalming clinical, funeral directing practicum) and some contain classroom based practical activities (funeral directing 2, restorative art, merchandising, embalming 1).

Remote: Attend funeral classes via zoom and general education courses via zoom (remote attendance at set meeting time) or online (no meeting time).  Field based courses and assignments (embalming clinical, funeral directing practicum) are completed local to the student.  Classroom based practical activities (funeral directing 2, restorative art, merchandising, embalming 1) and the competency embalming are completed as part of a residency the students last semester that is at least two weeks in length.  Hotel accommodations are available.  

 

Field Based Practical Components:

Embalming clinical:

In-person students complete 10 embalming cases at dedicated funeral establishments throughout New England under the direct supervision of dedicated preceptors.  A professor attends the 9^th or 10^th embalming to certify the students competency.

Remote Students complete 10 embalming cases at temporary or dedicated sites local to the student.  The student completes an 11^th embalming under the supervision of the faculty during their residency weeks their last semester.

 

Funeral Directing Practicum:

In-person & Remote students complete a series of observation and involvement in funeral services, arrangement conferences and other aspects of funeral service.   This is one component of the funeral directing 2 course.  You submit your evidence as part of a portfolio for the course.

 

Classroom Based Practical Components:

Embalming 1: Contains hands on activities that require in-person attendance

Funeral Directing 1: Contains demonstrations and hands-on components.

Funeral Directing 2: Contains mock funerals, mock arrangements, transfers and other in-person components.

Merchandising and Management: Onsite merchandising room is used.

Restorative Art: Course starts with a 1 hour lecture followed by a 3 hour in-person lab.

 

Residency

Remote students and students that miss practical days are required to make up all skills that were not completed in-person during their time in the program.  Hotel accommodations are available nearby, a room block is set-up by the college.  Lodging and travel are at the student’s expense.  The residency takes place the last two weeks of the semester (week 14 and week 15)

• Remote students complete all prior classroom based practical components on the Monday and Wednesday of Week 14 attending classes in-person on Tuesday and Thursday.  In week 15 remote students complete the final exams for their last semester in-person along with practical components on non-exam days.
• The 11^th embalming case required for remote students is proctored by the faculty.  Due to the inability to predict when a decedent is available for embalming and accounting for the number of decedents required for all remote students, the embalming is anticipated to be completed within the two week residency but may take longer based on decedent availability.  Remote students should be prepared to remain local until this requirement is completed.  

Individual course listings can be found in the College Catalog. To view the detailed course sequence for each program, select the program link below:

Associate in Science Funeral Service

Funeral Administrant Certificate

Funeral Celebrant Certificate

Bereavement Support Certificate

Embalming Certificate