Funeral Services Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The Funeral Services major builds core foundations in this discipline and prepares students with practical, career-relevant skills. Use RoEDU™ to find programs that match your goals.

Within Funeral & Mortuary Science, students often explore key subfields and specializations that provide targeted expertise.

Graduates translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact across sectors through hands-on projects and internships.

As part of Funeral & Mortuary Science, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$49,033

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$57,686

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$57,686

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR -0.4%

CAGR (compound annual growth rate) summarizes average yearly change across the observed period.

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$1,167,388

Employment-weighted across mapped SOCs; entry ≈ 85% of median; historical CAGR shown for last 5y; projections capped at 3% CAGR; lifetime is 40-year present value at 3% discount.

Career Opportunities & Salaries

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) • Median wages, employment, and growth projections

OccupationMedian WageTotal JobsGrowth RateEducation
Funeral Home Managers
SOC: 11-9171
Occupation: Funeral Home Managers
$76,830
13,120
N/A
N/A
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
SOC: 39-4031
Occupation: Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers
$49,800
25,700
N/A
N/A
Embalmers
SOC: 39-4011
Occupation: Embalmers
$56,280
3,420
N/A
N/A
Crematory Operators
SOC: 39-4012
Occupation: Crematory Operators
$42,880
2,950
N/A
N/A

Historical Career Trends (2020-2024)

Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-2024) • Salary trends and employment growth over 5 years

Funeral Home Managers

3.5%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$76,83013,120
2023$75,66014,200
2022$72,11013,680
2021$74,00012,710
2020$74,20010,010

Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers

-7.9%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$49,80025,700
2023$51,03024,200
2022$51,57023,940
2021$48,95024,700
2020$54,10024,560

Embalmers

18.2%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$56,2803,420
2023$54,0903,380
2022$49,9103,950
2021$47,7804,070
2020$47,6303,860

Crematory Operators

14.4%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$42,8802,950
2023$41,6703,220
2022$40,3602,930
2021$37,4902,040

Colleges offering Funeral Services

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

RoEdu™

959

Net Price

$17k

Earnings

$60k

University of Iowa

RoEdu™

949

Net Price

$21k

Earnings

$58k

Goodwin University

RoEdu™

923

Net Price

$30k

Earnings

$58k

St. John's University-New York

RoEdu™

913

Net Price

$29k

Earnings

$63k

University of the District of Columbia

RoEdu™

901

Net Price

$15k

Earnings

$52k