Grief can be a challenging part of life that everyone experiences.
For students interested in helping families during difficult times as a licensed funeral director, Salt Lake Community College is the place to start.
SLCC is the only college in Utah that offers an associate degree in mortuary science. The school’s interactive classroom curriculum, combined with licensed funeral professionals and state of the art labs, helps students successfully attain their degree.
Jeff Zealley, the mortuary science program coordinator and an associate professor, spoke on SLCC’s introductory course and what it’s like to be in the profession.
“One of the objectives of this class is to help you find out if this is not what you want to do,” Zealley said. “Every semester, we have usually anywhere from 40-50 [students] who take the introduction to mortuary science class. Not even half of them will get to the point where they even apply for the program. We only accept 24, 25 students a year.”
About the program
The mortuary science program is taught at SLCC’s Health Sciences Center on the Jordan Campus. The program consists of four heavy course loaded semesters, with 50 program credits required as well as 17 prerequisite credits.
Zealley mentioned that many are fascinated with the macabre nature of the job. He sees hundreds of students enter his Intro to Mortuary Science class, with few taking the next steps to get into the program.
Prerequisites include funeral home shadowing and a series of mini-interviews with the program coordinators.
“They can expect to get a good education, most of our students pass the national board exam the first time when they take it, which is a requirement towards licensure,” Zealley said.
The program draws students who are compassionate, have great interpersonal communications skills and a drive to help others.
“While you have to maintain a C to stay in the program, families don’t want a funeral director who just barely made it in class — sometimes that indicates their interest level,” Zealley explained, adding that good grades and a willingness to be better is one of the best ways to be a successful student in the program.
With the exception of those who decide not to enter the industry after graduation, mortuary science student graduates have a high likelihood of landing a job in the funeral industry.
A student’s experience
Baylie Marquart, an undergraduate in mortuary science, mentioned some things about the program that surprised her.
“I didn’t realize how medical-based it would be — I actually am really happy there was that much [on the subject] because I enjoy those kinds of classes,” Marquart said. “I didn’t expect there to be so much chemistry involved; I didn’t expect the program to be so competitive.”
Marquart has been interested in the funeral industry for most of her adult life. She was a safety director in construction until she decided to pursue her passion by helping others in their time of grief.
Marquart works as a funeral service intern at a local funeral home to help speed up her transition into a career after graduation. Her internship experience will cut her requirements after graduation, including no less than 2,000 hours and 50 embalmings in training as a licensed funeral service intern.
Marquart shared some advice for students interested in the mortuary science program.
“Make sure to get all your prerequisites done first. Look into the program quicksheet that’s posted on the website,” Marquart said. “See what additional classes need to be taken in addition to the mortuary science program, and take those ones while you’re waiting to hear if you get in or not, because you [will want to] focus solely on your mortuary program classes. It’s a heavy course load.”
For more information on the application process and program requirements, visit the SLCC mortuary science program page.
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