Mortuary Science

Build Your Future as a Mortuary Science Professional

The Mortuary Science Department at Cypress College prepares people for a career that cares for the dead and comforts the living. As a mortuary science student, you will prepare for employment as a funeral director and embalmer. The Cypress College Mortuary Science Program prepares the students to take the National Board Examination, California Embalmers Examination, and the California Funeral Directors Examination.

In support of this mission the following are the Program’s Learning Outcomes:

Explain the importance of funeral service professionals in developing relationships with the families and communities they serve.
Identify standards of ethical conduct in funeral service practice.
Interpret how federal, state, and local laws apply to funeral service in order to ensure compliance.
Apply principles of public health and safety in the handling and preparation of human remains.
Demonstrate technical skills in embalming and restorative art that are necessary for the preparation and handling of human remains.
Demonstrate skills required for conducting arrangement conferences, visitations, services, and ceremonies.
Describe the requirements and procedures for burial, cremation, and other accepted forms of final disposition of human remains.
Describe methods to address the grief-related needs of the bereaved.
Explain management skills associated with operating a funeral establishment.
Demonstrate verbal and written communication skills and research skills needed for funeral service practice.

The Mortuary Science Program 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 them to develop proficiency and skills necessary for the profession, as defined in the Preamble at the beginning of Chapter 9 of the Manual on Accreditation;
To educate students concerning the responsibilities of funeral service profession to the community at large;
To emphasize high standards of ethical conduct;
To provide a curriculum at the post-secondary level of instruction;
To encourage student and faculty research in the field of funeral service;
To qualify students for professional licensure examination.

Cypress College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, 3402 Mendocino Avenue, Santa Rosa CA 95403; (707) 569-9177, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.

The college and its instructional programs are also approved by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges and by the State Department of Education for training veterans. A college or university is accredited if it has been evaluated by recognized accreditors and determined by their peers to meet acceptable levels of educational quality.

Courses offered at an accredited institution generally are transferable to other institutions and qualify for financial aid.

The Mortuary Science Degree Program at Cypress College is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education(ABFSE) 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108, Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097; Phone 816-233-3747. Web: www.abfse.org. The ABFSE is the only agency recognized and approved by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit funeral service education programs.

National Board Examination pass rates, graduation rates (beginning in 2015), and employment rates (beginning in 2015) for this and other ABFSE-accredited programs are available at www.abfse.org. To request a printed copy of this program’s rates, go to the Mortuary Science Department, Technical education III Building, Room 215, by telephone (714) 484-7278, or by e-mail: MortSci@cypresscollege.edu

Location
Mortuary Science Office, Room 215
Technical Education III Building – Health Science Division

Frequently Asked Questions

Mortuary Science Application Checklist

Items to be completed before to applying to a Health Science program:

☐Review the program webpage for program information and the program brochure for prerequisite requirements and selection criteria.

☐Complete the sample application to prepare for the online application (see page 3 within this document).☐Attend a Health Science Workshop (This is optional, but strongly recommended). Speak with a Health Science Counselor for any questions or concerns regarding application (optional).

☐Apply to Cypress College as a general student and obtain a myGateway Student ID #. Example @01234567. It can take up to 5 business days. Applying to a Health Science program is a separate application.

☐Review the myGateway instructions on the Cypress College website. Once a myGateway Student ID # has been provided, log into myGateway account to do the next 3 items:

☐Obtain unofficial Cypress College and Fullerton College transcripts if any attempted/completed/in progress coursework. A current copy, in PDF format, will be required to be uploaded within the online Health Science application during each application period. Within myGateway, click on WebStar, open the Student Records folder, click on View Unofficial Web Transcript, and save the file as a PDF document.

☐Send all official transcripts from other colleges to Cypress College Admission and Records. Admission and Records will not accept transcripts opened prior to submission, PDF documents sent from a student, unofficial transcripts, or a Cypress College transcript. Allow 5 or more business days for transcripts to be processed. All transcripts must be submitted and processed by the official transcript due date.

To digitally send a transcript (directly from school to school) –

Use incomingtranscripts@cypresscollege.edu or choose Cypress College (if the option is provided during the ordering process)

To mail official transcripts to Cypress College use this address –

Cypress College
Admission and Records – Transcripts
9200 Valley View St.
Cypress, CA 90630

NOTE – If you sent official transcripts to Cypress College before being provided a Cypress College or Fullerton College student id# (same # is used for both colleges), you must contact Cypress College Admission and Records and request for your transcript to be uploaded to your id# in the transcript database.

☐It is the applicant’s responsibility to provide the most current transcript when applying/reapplying to a program.

Applicants must submit a new and more current transcript if…

had coursework in progress during the semester previously applied
attempted and/or completed coursework after the last time applied
have current coursework in progress (must list college on application, but can provide unofficial transcript for the in-progress coursework only. Any prior attempted and/or completed coursework must be on an official transcript.)
did not provide an official transcript when previously applied (excluding Cypress and Fullerton College)
Cypress and Fullerton unofficial transcripts must be uploaded within the online application each application period

Applicants do not need to submit a transcript again if…

have already submitted an official transcript AND NO changes have occurred to that transcript.(See above list of changes that require a new transcript.)

Items to be completed during Health Science program application:

☐Log into the online Health Science Application using myGateway credentials (8-digit student I.D., also called a “banner I.D.”, and an accompanying password).

☐Fill in the Health Science online application for the program applying for. Only one application is allowed per application period. It is the applicant’s responsibility to fill in the application fully and correctly.

☐Be prepared to upload pdf documents if needed. Current unofficial transcript(s) for Cypress and/or Fullerton College will be required to be uploaded within online Health Science application each application period. Other possible items: unofficial transcripts or proof of enrollment showing in-progress coursework, non-enrollment letter(s), etc.

☐Once completed, click the submit button. A confirmation email will be sent containing the application number and further instructions.

☐Follow the instructions within the confirmation email to complete the application process. The transcripts listed on the confirmation email do not reflect the current status of the Admission and Records transcript office.

☐Failure to provide a complete application packet will result in an ineligible application.

☐An applicant’s account will be locked once an application is submitted online. Updates or changes can be completed during the program’s next application period.

Notification Letter

☐The Health Science Applications Office will contact all applicants with a notification letter no later than May 1 for fall consideration and December 1 for spring consideration. Please do not contact the college for a status update before to the notification letter date unless instructed to do so by the Health Science staff or faculty.

☐It is the applicant’s responsibility to contact the Health Science Applications Office by May 2 for fall consideration and December 2 for spring consideration if a notification letter email was not received. Deadline to respond is about 3 business days. Failure to respond to an Accepted and Alternate status notification letter email will result in the application being marked as declined and will be removed from the roster.

☐Ineligible applications – It is the applicant’s responsibility to inquire about the reason their application was ineligible and correct any errors during the next application period.

☐If an applicant would like to discuss the application once applicants have received the notification letter, please contact a Health Science Counselor during business hours: Health Science Express Counseling-Cranium Café Lobby, or call (714) 484-7015 for appointment (if available) or Counselor hours of availability for virtual “walk-ins.”

The Mortuary Science Department offers an Associate in Science degree in mortuary science and a Bachelor of Science degree in funeral service.

Depending on the program and the number of units taken, completing the associate in science degree program can take about two years after taking prerequisites and being admitted into the program. The program is designed to be completed in three semesters of major coursework once the general education subject matter areas are satisfied.

The Mortuary Science Associate in Science degree is $46 per unit for California residents, not including books, fees, and supplies. Units vary by course, but the average is three units per course. The unit cost for the associate degree will vary depending upon the number of prerequisites needed. For the bachelor’s degree, please contact the department coordinator. Most students also qualify for some form of financial aid.

Students work in funeral homes.

Jolena Grande

Program Mapper: View course options for these programs, below.

Associate in Science in Mortuary Science = 75 units
(2 years after prerequisites and being admitted into the program)
Bachelor of Science in Funeral Service

Eligibility for admission to Cypress College
Official High school transcript, GED test with an average score of 450 on the five-test battery, or high school proficiency examination
Evidence of good physical and mental health
Completion of ENGL 100C College Writing with a letter “C” grade or better
Completion of BIOL 210C Anatomy and Physiology (with lab) or completion of BIOL 231C Anatomy (with lab) with a letter “C” grade or better and completed within the most recent 5 year time period.
Completion of Math 040 Intermediate Algebra or higher with a letter “C” grade or better
A minimum GPA of 2.0 in all college courses attempted

This is designed as a full-time program. Students are encouraged to enroll in at least 12 units each semester in order to complete the program in a timely fashion.

Students who qualify to apply for the Bachelor of Science in Funeral Service will have met the following prerequisites:

Graduation from an ABFSE-accredited program of Funeral Service Education and ICFSEB NBE Certification
CSU GE or IGETC Certification or a bachelor’s degree from a California State University
Embalmer and Funeral Director License or Funeral Service Practitioner Certification, CFSP

Please consider attending an information workshop about Cypress College Health Science Programs. The Health Science Workshop Schedule and Reservations link is here.