Funeral Service (AAS)

What is A Funeral Service (AAS) Degree?

A funeral director (formerly called a mortician or an undertaker) manages the funeral home or crematorium and all the functions that are part of a funeral.  Many funeral directors own the funeral home and train and manage lower-level staff members who assist with making all the arrangements for the grieving family.  Directors must follow strict scientific guidelines and laws while also being a sensitive, caring professional.

Funeral Directors also have to know about and be sensitive to the different customs with the various ethnic and religious groups and willing to meet the proper protocols for the religion. An AAS degree in Funeral Service will include science courses related to embalming—anatomy, chemistry, microbiology—and ethics and communication skills to be able to counsel grieving families. Regulations and mortuary law will also be covered. The AAS degree in most places qualifies the graduate for entry-level positions so they can be licensed after a certain amount of experience in the field.