Course Descriptions

FSE. 200 Introduction to Funeral Service (2 units)

Survey of the history of the funeral service industry and a comprehensive overview of the field of funeral service. Students learn the role and skills of the funeral service practitioner. This course provides insight into the funeral service industry and the career opportunities available.

FSE. 210 Funeral Directing I (3 units)

This course introduces the general practices of funeral directing. It focuses on the sociological phenomena that affect all the elements of funeral service including cultural differences, family structures, and factors of change that relate to funeralization. It also includes notification of death, transfer and disposition of bodies, arrangement conferences, pre-planned funerals, and post-arrangement follow-up.

FSE. 212 Funeral Service Science (5 units)

This course is designed for the Funeral Service Education student. Course material expands on general anatomy, chemistry, microbiology, and pathological concepts as related to the preparation, presentation, and sanitation of the human remains.

FSE. 215 Funeral Directing II (3 units)

This course introduces the basic philosophies of a cross-section of religious and ethnic funeral practices and the role of the funeral practitioner in directing each type. Example cultural groups include African-American, Islamic, Protestant, Buddhist and Hindu among others. It also includes procedures for fraternal, military, and celebrity funerals.

FSE. 220 Funeral Service Law and Ethics (3 units)

This course introduces law and the judicial system as they pertain to the funeral industry. Topics include sources of law, the legal status of a dead human body, the duty of burial, rights to control funeral arrangements and final disposition, liability for funeral expenses, torts involving the dead human body and the funeral director, wills, estates, probate, cemeteries, crematories, and state and federal laws and regulations. Personal and professional ethics that guide decisions and actions in the proper treatment of the dead are also included.

FSE. 225 Psychology of Death and Dying (3 units)

This course is an introduction to thanatology and basic psychological terminology and theories, with an emphasis on the study of grief, bereavement, and mourning. The content provides the knowledge required of the funeral director to work effectively with families as a facilitating agent. Follow-up programs initiated by the funeral director are examined in detail as well as community support groups with whom the funeral director participates. Major emphasis is placed on the student identifying problem areas in the field, intervening, and professional referral.

FSE. 230 Merchandising in the Funeral Service Industry (3 units)

This course introduces merchandising as it applies to the funeral service profession. The curriculum is divided into two main sections. The first covers construction and features of caskets, outer burial containers, and other funeral-related products. The second section examines methods of pricing, display, presentation, and control of funeral merchandise.

FSE. 235 Funeral Service Management (3 units)

This course introduces the basic principles of management as they apply to the practice of the funeral profession. It explores the role and function of an effective manager, emphasizing the functions of planning, organizing, motivating, directing, and controlling. Specific areas of funeral service practice and managerial guidelines for those areas are covered. Topics also include management theory as it relates to funeral service practice.

FSE. 250 Restorative Art (5 units)

This course introduces the techniques of creating an acceptable physical appearance of the deceased for the benefit of the survivors. Topics include the study of facial features, cosmetics, and restorative treatment for a variety of situations faced by the practitioner.

FSE. 260 Embalming I (4 units)

This course introduces the phenomenon of death relative to the human body. It includes the processes of preservation, restoration, and sanitation in treating the dead human body. The course outlines the legal and social aspect of embalming, the use of anatomical systems in preservation and the application of chemical preservatives to slow decomposition.

FSE. 265 Embalming II (2 units)

This course is a continuation of FSE. 260. It is the study of vascular anatomy, case analysis, the selection and injection of embalming fluids, and treatment of specific conditions requiring special attention including traumatic deaths, time considerations, moisture considerations and tissue procurement.

FSE. 270 Funeral Service Counseling (3 units)

This course examines communication skills and the role of the funeral director as facilitator, counselor, and caregiver. Topics include specific communication and counseling techniques as they are applied in funeral service practice as well as normal and abnormal grief reactions, children and death, crisis intervention counseling, and dealing with stress and burnout.

FSE. 280 Funeral Service Education Practicum (5 units)

This course provides an opportunity to apply classroom instruction in funeral service education to real-world practice in the community. The student participates in an off-site lab experience at approved off-campus preceptor sites. Additionally, students prepare for the National Board Examination.