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2009-2010 Catalog [Aug. 2009-Aug. 2010] [Archived Catalog]

Funeral Services (2161) (A.S.)

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Associate in Science

Mission Statement

Creating competent, ethical, and confident entry-level funeral directors and embalmers committed to professional development through life-long learning in a positive, non-discriminatory and supportive learning environment.

The Career

Funeral directors interview the family members of the deceased to facilitate and assist with the arrangements for the funeral services. Services include coordination with clergy members, or other persons who will officiate, the logistics of funerals, preparing obituary notices and having them placed in newspapers, arranging for pallbearers, and clergy, scheduling with the cemetery the opening and closing of a grave, decorating and preparing the sites of all services, and providing for the transportation of the remains, mourners, and flowers between sites. They also direct preparation and shipment of remains for out-of-state burial. Embalming is a sanitary, cosmetic, and preservative process through which the body is prepared for interment. Funeral directors also handle the paperwork involved with the person’s death.

The Program

This limited access associate degree program in funeral services requires a minimum of two years of college education, but students who have completed all general education courses may be able to complete the program in a minimum of sixteen (16) months. Because the funeral services program includes mortuary science and basic science courses, high school preparation should include biology and chemistry. In addition, the program includes courses in liberal arts (such as English, humanities, and ethics), sciences (such as anatomy and pathology) and clinical sciences (such as embalming and restorative arts). The Florida licensure process requires passing the National Board Examination (a written comprehensive examination), serving a one-year internship under the direction of a licensed funeral director and embalmer, and passing a Florida examination on rules and regulations.

Department Vision

This program strives to meet the needs of northern Florida for qualified funeral directors and embalmers by providing a training program that is supported by the local Funeral Services community and is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Services Education, 3414 Ashland Ave., Suite G, St. Joseph, MO 64506, (816) 233-3747.

Department Mission

Creating competent, ethical, and confident entry-level funeral services directors and embalmers committed to professional development through life-long learning in a positive, non-discriminatory and supportive learning environment.

Program Aims

The Funeral Services Program at Florida State College has as its central aim recognition of the importance of funeral service education personnel as:

  1. members of a human services profession,
  2. members of the community in which they serve,
  3. participants in the relationship between bereaved families and those engaged in the funeral service profession,
  4. professionals knowledgeable of and compliant with federal, state, provincial/territorial and local regulatory guidelines in the state of Florida, as well as
  5. professionals sensitive to the responsibility for public health, safety and welfare in caring for human remains.

Program Goals

The goals of the Funeral Services Program at Florida State College are as follows.

  1. To enlarge the background and knowledge of students about the funeral service profession.
  2. To educate students in every phase of funeral services, and to help enable them to develop the proficiency and skills necessary for the profession.
  3. To educate students concerning the responsibilities of the funeral services 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 research in the field of funeral services.
  7. To serve as a liaison to funeral service practitioners and the community at large.
  8. Provide an integrated Funeral Services curriculum for the benefit of our students and community.
  9. Provide a program of continuing education in Funeral Services for the benefit of our graduates and other Funeral Services professionals practicing in our community.

Program Objectives

The objectives of the Funeral Services Program at Florida State College are as follows.

  1. Prepare students for entry level into the funeral services profession. This includes educating students in every part of funeral services including developing the skills necessary to function in the field. Students will have a thorough understanding of the background of the profession and will understand the profession’s role as a human services profession and the profession’s responsibilities to the community at large.
  2. Establish a student-centered environment. Students will be guaranteed access to faculty advisement and counseling with appropriate interventions as needed.
  3. Establish clinical affiliations with local funeral homes and contractors.
  4. Promote student retention and success. Remediation services and the full complement of college resources (Career Development Center, Library, Learning Center, counseling, advising, scholarships and financial aid) will be made available to students individually or in groups to facilitate retention and success. The Funeral Services Advisory Committee will provide input on how the program is meeting the needs of employers in the community.
  5. Implement continuing workforce education programs to meet the needs of graduates and funeral services professionals in the community to meet the state of Florida requirements for licensure renewal.
  6. Emphasize the highest standards of ethical conduct.
  7. Encourage research in the field of funeral services through class assignments and individual and group projects.
  8. Offer an integrated curriculum comprised of general, technical and clinical education at the postsecondary level.
  9. Assure the quality of the clinical experience.
  10. Foster awareness of the state of Florida’s statutory rules and regulations governing funeral directors and embalmers.
  11. Consult with the Funeral Services Advisory Committee and representatives of the funeral services business.
  12. Conduct in-service education for affiliate faculty in the clinical training facilities on request.
  13. Evaluate the program qualitatively and quantitatively, and provide flexibility for changes indicated by the evaluation process.

Program Accreditation

The Funeral Services Program at Florida State College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 3414 Ashland Avenue, Suite G, St. Joseph, Missouri 64506, (816) 233-3747.

Passage Rate

The annual pass rate of first time takers on the National Board Examination (NBE) for the most recent three-year period for this institution and all ABFSE accredited funeral service education programs is posted on the ABFSE Web site.

Application Procedure

  1. A minimum 2.0 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale in all college work to be used for the degree.
  2. Completion of Funeral Services program application.

National Board Examination (NBE) Statement

After January 1, 2004, each accredited program in funeral service education must require that each funeral service education student take the National Board Examination (NBE) as a requirement for graduation.

Certification and Licensing

The Florida licensure process requires 1) passing the NBE (a written comprehensive examination), 2) serving a one-year internship under the direction of a licensed funeral director and embalmer, and 3) passing a Florida examination on rules and regulations.

National Board Exam Statistics
 

Year

# of Takers

# Who Passed

% Who Passed

2006

15

10

67%

2007

6

2

33%

2008

10

8

73%

Accreditation

The Funeral Services Program at Florida State College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 3432 Ashland Avenue, Suite U, St. Joseph, Missouri 64506, telephone (816) 233-3747.

The annual passage rate of first time takers on the National Board Examination (NBE) for the most recent three-year period for this institution and all ABFSE accredited funeral service education programs is posted on the ABFSE Web site.

Need More Information?

View Program Information and Contacts

Pre-Technical Coursework

The required courses for admission to the technical phase of the Funeral Services program must be completed at a minimum before a student will be considered for admission to the program.

  Mathematics
  Refer to A.S./A.A.S. degree General Education Requirements 

Curriculum

Total Credit Hours: 72

General Education

Credit Hours: 16

 

Mathematics Credit Hours: 3
  Refer to A.S./A.A.S. degree General Education Requirements 
Humanities Credit Hours: 3
  Refer to A.S./A.A.S. degree General Education Requirements 
Social and Behavioral Science Credit Hours: 3
  Refer to A.S./A.A.S. degree General Education Requirements 

Professional Courses

Credit Hours: 14

Funeral Services Courses

Credit Hours: 42

Record of Conviction of a Crime

Clinical agencies may require students to undergo drug screening and criminal background checks prior to placement in the agencies for clinical experiences. Students whose drug screening and criminal background checks are unsatisfactory may be denied access to clinical experiences by the clinical agencies. Withdrawal from the program may be necessary if students cannot be placed for clinical experiences.

Students who are unable to complete the clinical requirements after acceptance into selective access programs are not eligible for refunds of tuition.

University Transfer

This associate in science degree program is intended primarily for students who desire to complete an associate in science degree and become employed. Students who decide to pursue university transfer study must meet certain course and test requirements. For details refer to the university transfer guide.

Graduation Requirements

In order to be awarded the associate in science or associate in applied science degree, students must have met the following requirements:

  1. Earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) at Florida State College in courses eligible toward the associate in science or applied science degree programs (A.S. Florida State College GPA or A.A.S. Florida State College GPA).
  2. Earned an all–college cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C) on all courses attempted, including transferred credits. (All college cumulative).
  3. Completed at least 25 percent of credit semester hours required for the degree at Florida State College.
  4. Completed a minimum of 60 semester hours, as specified by the degree, of which a minimum of 15 semester hours must be General Education requirements.
  5. Earned a grade of at least a “C” in each course used to satisfy the General Education Requirements .
  6. Can demonstrate mastery of the Information Literacy Assessment. Refer to the assessment section for details.

Note: Students are cautioned to pay particular attention to the following statements.

  1. Graduation dates will be the date at the end of the college term in which the students complete the academic requirements for the degree or certificate for which students are applicants. (The removal of an incomplete grade does not affect students’ graduation dates, since the grade change is effective as of the end of the term in which the incomplete grade was assigned rather than the term in which the incomplete work was made up.)
  2. If students expect to complete the coursework under the terms of the catalog in effect during the term of their first registration, they must graduate within five years or they will need to be reassigned to an active catalog. Accordingly, students who enter under this catalog (2009/2010) must graduate by the end of the Summer Term 2014, or they will automatically be reassigned to the 2013/2014 catalog requirements. Changes to requirements as mandated by law or by rule of the District Board of Trustees may supersede this provision.
  3. The General Education Requirements may be taken on any Florida State College campus or center.
  4. Many courses in this catalog have prerequisite and/or corequisite courses which are listed in the course descriptions. Students are advised to be guided by these requirements.
  5. Students who place into college preparatory courses are required to complete designated college preparatory courses with a grade of “C” or better regardless of program of study.
  6. Students enrolling in associate in applied science programs must pass all sections of the placement test before award of an A.A.S. degree, regardless of the degree program’s general education requirements.
  7. Degree–seeking students whose native language is not English, who fall below a designated cutoff score on the English as a second language (ESL) entry placement test, will be required to take ESL courses with EAP prefix prior to registering for other college credit classes. The level of these courses will be determined by the entry placement scores. Individual exceptions will be determined by the ESL program manager.
  8. Degree–seeking students identified as non–native speakers must take an English as a second language (ESL) placement test prior to taking the College’s standard course placement test. Students who place into ESL, as determined by the test, must complete ESL courses before registering for other college credit classes. Non–degree seeking college credit students who plan to take English or reading courses must also meet these requirements. Exceptions to these requirements can be made by the ESL program manager or designee.

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