Public Service Programs: Funeral Service Education (A55260)

Anatomical Donations

Donation Guidelines

Schools for teaching mortuary science which are approved by the Board (NC Board of Funeral Service) shall have extended to them the same privileges as to the use of bodies for dissecting while teaching as those granted in this State to medical colleges, but such bodies shall be obtained through the same agencies which provide bodies for medical colleges. NCGS 90-210.23g

The funeral service program utilizes human remains as part of the clinical instruction in areas of embalming and restorative art.

How to Make a Donation

If you are interested in the donation program, bequeathal documents may be submitted on a pre-arrangement basis. Please complete the authorization and biographical forms, make copies for your records, fax the forms to 910.678.0169, and mail the originals to:

Funeral Service Department, FTCC
PO Box 35236
Fayetteville, NC 28303

Documents

• Basic Donation Information
• Authorization Sheet
• Biographical Sheet

Stipulations for Acceptance

1. No infections should be present at the time of death.
2. Weight of the deceased should be no greater than 250 lbs.
3. The deceased should have been refrigerated shortly following the death.
4. Prearranged donations are accepted at any time, but classes should be in session. Contact should be made with the directors in order to accept non-prearranged anatomical donations.

Contact information for F.T.C.C. Anatomical Donation Program

Please use the following primary methods of contacting our program for referrals to our anatomical program.
Phone: 910-486-7397
Email: FSEDonate@faytechcc.edu

Questions?

Contact: James Bullard
Phone: 910-678-8301
Email: bullardja@faytechcc.edu

Contact: Walton Herring
Phone: 910-678-7373
Email: herringw@faytechcc.edu

Apprenticeship

The State Board of Funeral Service of North Carolina requires than an individual serve a period of apprenticeship or resident traineeship at a licensed North Carolina funeral establishment (funeral home) before being eligible for licensure.

When to Complete an Apprenticeship

The time to serve an apprenticeship is up to the individual and the funeral home that has allowed the apprenticeship to be served. This period of resident traineeship is a twelve month period if served a a funeral home for a least 2000 hours during the year. Working less than 2000 hours will require an additional year apprenticeship.

The period of apprenticeship may be served before funeral service education, after the education has been completed, and in some cases, during the funeral education process. Keep in mind though, that taking more than 11 credit hours of college courses during one’s apprenticeship could cause the state board to require two years of apprenticeship because one is a full-time student if taking 12 or more hours during a semester.

Apprentice Training

During the period of resident traineeship, the resident trainee is to receive training in all aspects of funeral directing, if preparing for a funeral directing license, embalming, if preparing for an embalming license, or aspects of both funeral directing and embalming if preparing for a funeral service license. The resident trainee must submit monthly reports to the Board on documents supplied by the Board of Funeral Service.

Note: The apprenticeship is only valid or “good for a period of five years, so one should gain licensure before the five-year period expires, otherwise a new apprenticeship must be served.

Felony Convictions

The State Board of Funeral Service may refuse to issue or renew a license if one has been convicted of a felony. If you have been convicted of a felony, you should contact the Board for a possible appearance so the Board may make a decision granting you a license in North Carolina – 919.733.9380.

Additional Notes

FTCC is not involved in apprenticeships in North Carolina. This period of apprenticeship is an arrangement between the trainee, the funeral home, and the State Board of Funeral Service. FTCC does not secure funeral establishments for possible apprenticeships.

Board Examination

Before licensure as a funeral director or funeral service licensee, you  must successfully complete funeral service college, pass your board exams, and complete an apprenticeship at a North Carolina funeral home.

North Carolina Funeral Director

If you wish to be licensed only as a funeral director in North Carolina, you must successfully complete all courses in the funeral directing program, and you must be a graduate of the NC Funeral Directing program (or apply for graduation from that program). You may then sit for the funeral directing exam through the Board of Funeral Service.

Call the state board in Raleigh for all testing information, including cost, dates, places, etc. Remember, there is no National exam just for funeral directing. An apprenticeship will also have to be completed, but your testing may be completed before, after, or during that apprenticeship.

The North Carolina State Board of Funeral Service
1033 Wade Avenue, Suite 108
Raleigh, North Carolina 27605
919-733-9380

The NC Board of Funeral Service may refuse to issue or renew a license to an individual with a conviction of a felony or a crime involving fraud or moral turpitude.

How to Study for the Funeral Service Directing Exam

Procure a copy of the funeral service review guide from the International Conference of Funeral Service. You’ll need the funeral service guide because it contains Pathology, a subject in which you will be tested, but you won’t have to study the other science subjects in the text.

For the state laws and rules, review all of your materials from FSE 116, Funeral Law and Ethics. You may take sample tests by logging into Blackboard with the username “studentnotes” and using “anubis” as the password.

Note: These sample tests are only examples of questions found on the exam and completing them successfully is no guarantee of passing the exam and is not a substitute for knowledge of the subject areas or individual studying.

Mortuary Assessment Tests

Many students also report that taking the MATS (Mortuary Assessment Tests) helps them dramatically in most areas of the exam. It is best to take the test repeatedly as different questions will arise during each sitting.

NC Funeral Directing students are eligible to sit for the North Carolina State Board Examination after graduation or after successful completion of all program courses and applying for graduation. The department chairperson can send documentation to the state board of program completion and graduation application and the Board may allow one to sit for the examination.

North Carolina Funeral Service Licensee

If you wish to be licensed a s funeral service licensee

in North Carolina (includes funeral directing and embalming), you must be a graduate of the funeral service program, which also means that you have successfully taken and passed the National Board exam.

You may make arrangements to take one section (Arts or Sciences) of the National Board one day and then take the other section another day. There is no time limit as long as both sections are taken within the six week period following completion of FSE 217. There is a three hour time limit for each section and you will know the results of your exam immediately after you take it.

If you want to take both sections the same day, you would take one section in the morning and one section in the afternoon. For info, costs, locations, or other questions about the National Board exam, visit https://theconferenceonline.org.

Funeral Service Exam

After you have graduated and passed your National Board examination, then you will only need to sit for the NC Laws and Rules for Funeral Service Exam and successfully pass that examination.

Call the state board in Raleigh for all Laws and Rules testing information, including cost, dates, places, etc.. 919-733-9380.  Your apprenticeship will also have to be completed before you are licensed, but your education may be performed before, during, or after the apprenticeship.

How to Study for the Funeral Service Exam

You will have completed the FSE 217, Funeral Service Projects class. Save all materials from this class. Procure a copy of the funeral service review guide from the International Conference of Funeral Service. (https://theconferenceonline.org) For the state laws and rules, review all of your materials from FSE 116, Funeral Law and Ethics class.

*Sample tests are only examples of questions found on the exam and completing them successfully is no guarantee of passing the exam and is not a substitute for knowledge of the subject areas or individual studying.

Mortuary Assessment Tests

Many students also report that taking the MATS (Mortuary Assessment Tests) helps them dramatically in most areas of the exam. You will have taken part of the exam as part of your FSE 217 class, but you need to take the exam repeatedly as different questions will arise with each sitting.

Distance Learning Students

The Funeral Service degree (FSE) and NC Funeral Directing diploma program (FD) have a large number of students that enroll and participate in classes online via the Internet. Also, students often choose to enroll and complete classes at other colleges in order to transfer courses to FTCC.

Distance education students taking classes at other college locations should be aware of the following:

• Applications should be completed and accepted at FTCC and the other college location
• Students must be approved in the FD and/or FSE program(s) before being allowed to register for any “FSE” prefix class
• In order to be accepted into the FD and/or FSE programs at FTCC, the application must be submitted and reviewed, all official transcripts from high school and college must be received and reviewed by an admissions counselor, and any required admissions testing must have been taken and reviewed by the counselor.
• If taking courses at another college that do not being with an “FSE” prefix (i.e. ACC, BUS, CIS, MAT, PSY, SOC) official transcripts should be sent to the FTCC admissions department following the receive of a grade in that class.
• Students enrolled in the FD and/or FSE programs should contact their academic advisor every semester for advising or registration. If a course or courses have been taken at another college and the transcript has been received by FTCC, the academic advisor should be made aware of this information so that a course substitution may be generated. Students should check their WebAdvisor accounts to find their advisor’s contact information.
• There are no additional costs for “Online or Distance Education” courses.

Transferring Courses

The FSE department generally accepts courses for transfer depending on:

1. The grade received (must be a “C” or higher on a 7 point scale or “B” or higher on a 10 point scale). This includes all FSE courses, PSY 141, BUS 115, and ACC 111 or ACC 120.
2. The age of the course (5 years old or less in the FSE-prefix area)
3. Credit hours (must be the same or greater than FTCC’s)
4. Accreditation of the other college
5. The course description
6. Remember, any receiving institution has the right to refuse approval of outside course

Estimated Cost

ASSOCIATE DEGREE FUNERAL SERVICE EDUCATION (FSE) ESTIMATED PROGRAM COSTS

NORTH CAROLINA FUNERAL DIRECTOR (NC-FD) DIPLOMA PROGRAM

• Cost of Fees will vary as they are applied each semester

** Books are estimated only for FSE Core Courses.
*** Not all states accept the NC Funeral Director Diploma program. Check your state for licensure education requirements.
****There is no additional cost for “Online or Distance Education) courses.

Face to Face Program Requirements

The majority of course instruction is available online. There are three elements of the program that will require physical attendance in the classroom for hands-on participation.

1. Embalming requirements can be met in one of two ways:
   1. Attending Embalming labs at the College. This is met by attending Embalming Labs once a week for 8 weeks in both sections FSE-211 and 213, or: 
   2. While working at a Licensed Funeral Home while enrolled in FSE Work-Based Learning (WBL) 111 and 121. All students enrolled in WBL-121 will also complete an on-campus Certification Embalming Lab with College faculty. 
2. Restorative Arts (FSE-216) – Students are required to complete three on-campus labs (18 hours). Dates for these Labs are set at the beginning of the Semester.
3. Funeral Directing Tasks (FSE-215) – Can be satisfied through work experience and/or participation in on-campus simulation labs. Tasks include:

• • Taking five First Calls
  • Removal/Transfer of human remains
  • Five funeral arrangement conferences
  • Attend five Funeral Services

Students not working at a Funeral Home will be responsible for finding and attending Funeral Services that must be validated by a Funeral Director or Funeral Service Licensee.

** Out of State Students – The ability for you to be trained in embalming in your state may not be allowable. The ability to complete the Funeral Directing task may not be easily accomplished if you are not working in a Funeral Service.  Potential students should review their state’s requirements for licensure as a Funeral Director, Embalmer or Funeral Service Licensee. Out of state students should contact the Dept. Chair for further clarification.

FSE Program Handbook

Funeral Service Education Program Handbook

Funeral Service Resources

• Batesville Casket Company
• Cremation Association of North America
• Find-a-Grave (Where are those famous people buried?)
• Funeral Ethics Information
• Matthews-Aurora Funeral Solutions
• National Funeral Directors and Mortician’s Association
• National Funeral Director’s Association
• North Carolina Funeral Director’s Association
• North Carolina State Board of Funeral Service
• Veteran’s Burial Benefits Information
• Wilbert Vault Company