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Funeral Service Education A.S. Degree

Full Time

This program roadmap represents one possible pathway to complete the program. Please see a counselor to create an education plan that is customized to meet your needs. This roadmap is not a guarantee of course availability or financial aid applicability.

Catalog:: 2024-25
GE Pattern:: local AA/AS
Total Units:: 77.5
Start Term:: Spring

Prior to Enrolling in the Program

Prerequisite Courses

36 Units

CAT.	COURSE	TITLE	UNIT	GE AREA
Req	ACCT 101	Fundamentals of College Accounting	3
Req	Req	BIOL 102 ¹	Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology		4	IV
Req	Req	BUS 340	Business Law	3		IV
Req	Req	ENGWR 300 / 480 ^H	College Composition	3		IIa WC
Req		FSE 300	Introduction to Funeral Service	2
Req		Req	MATH 120	Intermediate Algebra			5	IIb MC
Req	PSYC 390	Req	Psychology of Death and Dying	3	IIIb			IIb MC
Req	Req	COMM 301 ²	Introduction to Public Speaking	3	IIIb
Req	Req	HIST 311 ³	History of the United States (1865 - Present)	3	Va
Req	Req	ANTH 310 ⁴	Cultural Anthropology	3	Va	Vb
Req	Req	RLST 301 ⁵	Introduction to World Religions	3	I, VI	Vb
Req	Req	FITNS 310 ⁶	Aquatic Fitness I	1	I, VI	IIIa

¹ or BIOL 103

² or SPEECH 331

³ or any 3-unit course from ARC GE Area Va (American Institutions)

⁴ or any 3-unit course from ARC GE Area Vb (Social Science/Social & Behavioral Sciences)

⁵ or any 3-unit course from ARC GE Area I (Humanities) and Area VI (Ethnic/Multicultural Studies)

⁶ or any 1-unit course from ARC GE Area IIIa (Physical Activity Course)

^H honors courses

This program has eligibility requirements and a selection process. Detailed information about the program and pre-enrollment applications may be found in the college catalog and on the college website.

To use this sequence, all general education requirements for graduation must be completed prior to the first day of instruction, in January.

First Year

Semester 1 (Spring)

20.5 Units

CAT.	COURSE	TITLE	UNIT	GE AREA
Req	CHEM 130	Chemistry for Funeral Service	4
Req	Req	FSE 310	Funeral Directing I		3
Req	Req	FSE 320	Funeral Service Law and Ethics	3
Req	Req	FSE 335	Funeral Service Management	3
Req	Req	FSE 350	Restorative Art	3.5
Req	Req	FSE 360	Embalming I	4

Semester 2 (Summer)

2 Units

CAT.	COURSE	TITLE	UNIT	GE AREA
Req	FSE 340	Pathology for Funeral Service	2

Semester 3 (Fall)

19 Units

CAT.	COURSE	TITLE	UNIT	GE AREA
Req	BIOL 130	Microbiology for Funeral Service	3
Req	Req	FSE 297	Internship in Funeral Service Education		5
Req	Req	FSE 312	Funeral Directing II	3
Req	Req	FSE 330	Merchandising in the Funeral Service Industry	3
Req	Req	FSE 365	Embalming II	2
Req	Req	FSE 370	Funeral Service Counseling	3

Explanation of Categories
Req	Required Core	A course that is required for this program

Graduation Requirement

A course that fulfills a specific graduation requirement which can be replaced by another course that meets the same graduation requirement.

MC = Math Competency

WC = Writing Competency

1 Year

Career path

Career Options:

This degree prepares students to take the National and State Board examination to become a licensed funeral director in California. It also prepares students to take the National and State embalmer’s examination.

Other Notes:

This sequence works well for students who already have a degree or who have completed a considerable amount of college coursework.
To enroll in this program, students must have a cumulative college GPA of 2.0 and a grade of “C” or better in the following courses: ACCT 101, BIOL 102 or 103, BUS 340, ENGWR 300 or 480, FSE 300, MATH 120, PSYC 390, SPEECH 301 or 331.
Students with a bachelor\'s degree may not need to take all of the prerequisite GE courses listed in this map, and should see a counselor.
Students must have a high school diploma, GED, CHSPE or higher to enter the program. Information about the program and pre-enrollment applications may be obtained at https://arc.losrios.edu/academics/programs-and-majors/funeral-service-education.
The Funeral Service Education program currently accepts students once per year for the spring semester, which begins in January. The deadline to submit an application is the second Friday in November.
Only students who meet the pre-enrollment requirements and follow the pre-enrollment process will be considered for the program.
The Funeral Service Education associate degree program at American River College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097 (816) 233-3747. Web: www.abfse.org.

Published April 13, 2024

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