Mortuary Science, A.A.S.

Associate in Applied Science
HEGIS #5299.20
Chairperson: Lori Q. Purcell
Fitzgibbons Health Technologies Center, Room 011, (518) 629-7334

NOTE: The entrance requirements for this program as well as course content and expectations are currently being presented to our Educational Policies & Standards Committee and Curriculum Committee for changes. As a result, the Mortuary Science degree program will not be accepting any direct entry into the program until Fall 2017. Any applicants to the program will be held to meeting the new entrance requirements and curriculum expectations. Please check the webpage periodically to review new changes.

The Mortuary Science degree program is designed to educate graduates as contemporary funeral directors capable of performing current caretaking and managerial roles.

Successful completion of the Mortuary Science degree program entitles the student to sit for the national board examination and/or a state board. The Mortuary Science degree program at Hudson Valley Community College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097; (816) 233-3747; www.abfse.org. The program is approved and registered with the New York State Department of Health.

All program students must register with the New York State Department of Health within 15 days of program acceptance and will not be allowed to begin any Mortuary Science course without such. Any student denied registration will be withdrawn from the program.

Every student in the Mortuary Science degree program must take and pass the National Board Examination as a requirement for graduation from the program. Students are required to take the National Board Examination within one semester (including summer) of completion of all courses required for the Mortuary Science degree program. In order to receive approval to take the NBE exam beyond the one semester limit, students are required to retake and pass the MTSC 250 Pre-Professional Mortuary Seminar  course.

National Board Examination pass rates, graduation rates, (beginning in 2015) and employment rates (beginning in 2015) for this and other ABFSE-accredited programs are available at www.abfse.org. To request a printed copy of this program’s rates, visit the college’s Mortuary Science Department, located in Fitzgibbons Health Technologies Center, Room 011, or call (518) 629-7334.

After passing the National Board Examination with a satisfactory grade, the prospective New York State funeral director must then serve one year as a registered resident before becoming a licensed funeral director.

Transfer students may be able to complete the program in less than four terms with proper planning and advisement preceding enrollment.

Please note additional policies regarding Heath Science programs: Unsatisfactory pre-clinical, clinical, practicum and academic performance will result in students being dismissed from a health science program. The respective health science program faculty will make all recommendations for readmission. All decisions will be based upon an individual student review process. Readmission will require students to successfully repeat previous clinical, practicum and/or academic courses that faculty require. In addition, if a student is dismissed from the program, the student may be required to provide evidence of growth in necessary areas as identified by the faculty at the time of dismissal. Dismissed students must reapply under the program’s current admission procedure.

Once a student has been readmitted to a program, core curricular courses must be completed in term sequence without interruption. Any student who misses a term may not be permitted to continue in the program.

Students who are dismissed from Health Science Programs at Hudson Valley or other institutions due to inappropriate or dangerous clinical behavior and/or personal misconduct during patient interactions will not be allowed admission to any Hudson Valley Health Science program or Health Science course with a clinical component. A notation will be placed on the student’s academic transcript indicating the student was dismissed from the Mortuary Science degree program.

Statement of Purpose For The Mortuary Science Department

The Mortuary Science Department at Hudson Valley Community College is dedicated to the single purpose of educating and preparing students for entry into the funeral service profession.

Program Aims

1. Familiarize students with the importance of funeral service education personnel as members of a human services profession and also the community in which they serve.
2. Familiarize students with the importance of funeral service education personnel as participants in the relationship between bereaved families and those engaged in the funeral service profession.
3. Familiarize students with the importance of funeral service education personnel as professionals knowledgeable of and compliant with federal, state, and local regulatory guidelines.
4. Familiarize students with the importance of funeral service educations personnel as professionals sensitive to the responsibility for public health, safety, and welfare in caring for human remains.

Program Objectives

1. To enlarge the background and knowledge of students about the funeral service profession.
2. To educate students in every phase of funeral service, and to help enable them to develop proficiency and skills necessary for the profession.
3. To educate students concerning the responsibilities of the funeral service profession to the community at large.
4. To emphasize high standards of ethical conduct.
5. To provide a curriculum at the post-secondary level of instruction.
6. To encourage student and faculty research in the field of funeral service.
7. To encourage faculty and students to be advocates for the profession of funeral service.

ACTG 100 , BADM 110 , BIOL 134 , MKTG 216 , PSYC 100 , and SOCL elective must have been taken within five years in order to be applicable toward this degree program. Mortuary Science courses must be taken at Hudson Valley.

Program Entrance Requirements

Courses	Entry Term	Special Notes	H.S. Average
Algebra or 1 unit of equivalent academic math, biology and chemistry w/labs (70 or above in each course)	Fall and Spring	Social science electives recommended.	70 or above

The estimated cost of books for the student enrolled in the first full-time term as outlined would be approximately $605.