ABOUT CAREERS IN FUNERAL SERVICE

The following information was sourced from the National Funeral Directors Association . 

If you are interested in:

• Helping Others
• The Human Biological Sciences
• Community Involvement
• A Business Environment

Then a career in funeral service may be right for you! Funeral service professionals work with the bereaved during times of emotional need. These professional caregivers enable families and communities to express their emotions and help them to properly grieve.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide support to the bereaved during initial stages of grief
• Arrange and direct funeral ceremonies
• Arrange for removal of the deceased from the place of death
• Prepare the body according to the wishes of the survivors and legal requirements
• Secure information for legal documents
• File death certificates and other legal papers
• Assist survivors with details for filing claims for death benefits
• Help individuals adapt to changes in their lives following a death through post-death counseling and support group activities

Please contact the funeral service college of your choice for more specific educational guidelines.

Wisconsin Educational Requirements for Funeral Directors

Applicants for a Funeral Directors License must submit evidence of having completed 9 months or more instruction in a prescribed course in a mortuary science school; and two years of academic instruction in a college or university with coursework in specific areas. Completion of an apprenticeship is also required. For details concerning requirements, see Wis. Admin. Code § FD 1.

CHANGES IN REQUIREMENTS - TAKING EFFECT OCTOBER 1, 2020

In March 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed into law 2019 Wisconsin Act 137 which will result in changes to the eligibility requirements for obtaining a funeral director license in Wisconsin. The new law requires:

• 24 College Semester Credits in Course of Study Approved by the Funeral Directors Examining Board
• An internship or apprenticeship ranging from one to three years. Applicants for a funeral director apprenticeship must either complete the 16-hour certification class or mortuary school.
• Newly licensed funeral directors must obtain four credit hours of continuing education in subject matters which the Funeral Directors Examining Board determines are useful to prepare a new licensee to practice as a funeral director.  This coursework would need to be completed prior to the first license renewal date after the initial license was granted.