Mortuary Science, Associate of Applied Science
The Associate of Applied Science Degree in Mortuary Science Program at the Community College of Baltimore County – Catonsville is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108, Woodbury Heights, New Jersey 08097; 816-233-3747; Web site: www.ABFSE.org, and is designed to train students for positions as morticians and prepare them to meet the State's licensing requirements. The Maryland State Board of Morticians requires 1,000 hours of apprenticeship with 20 funeral assists and 20 embalming assists. In order to be eligible for an apprenticeship, two-thirds of the educational requirements (46 credits) must be met with a 2.0 grade point average, to be verified with an official copy of the college transcript before the individual petitions the Board for an approval of an apprenticeship program.
Students who elect this curriculum should recognize that certain specialized courses may not transfer to some four-year colleges. As a graduation requirement, students must take the National Board Examination. They must also make application with the Maryland State Board of Morticians to take the Maryland Mortuary Science Law and Practical Examination. It is the responsibility of out-of-state students to familiarize themselves with their own state's licensing laws as they relate to apprenticeship and educational requirements.
The Mortuary Science Program at CCBC-Catonsville aims to recognize the importance of funeral service personnel as:
- Members of human services profession;
- Members of the community in which they serve;
- Participants in the relationship between bereaved families and those engaged in the funeral service profession;
- Professionals knowledgeable of and compliant with federal, state, provincial/territorial, and local regulatory guidelines in the geographical area where they practice; and
- Professionals sensitive to the responsibility for the public health, safety, and welfare in caring for human remains.
The Mortuary Science Program at CCBC-Catonsville's objectives are as follows:
- To enlarge the background and knowledge of students about the funeral service profession;
- To educate students in every phase of funeral service, and to help enable them to develop the proficiency and skills necessary for the profession;
- To educate students concerning the responsibilities of the funeral service profession to the community at large;
- To provide a curriculum at the post-secondary level of instruction; and
- To encourage students and faculty research in the field of funeral service.
Program objectives
Upon completion of this degree, students will be able to:
- demonstrate competency skills of an entry level licensed Mortician to work in funeral service;
- successfully complete the National Board Examination (NBE);
- demonstrate skills that will enable the student to be culturally knowledgeable as a funeral service practitioner;
- create relationships with professionals involved directly or indirectly with funeral service, i.e., cemeteries, crematoriums, funeral sundry suppliers, counselors, hospice centers, and other similar associations; and
- explain the various professional associations at a local, state, and national level.
