Funeral Services, AAS

The formal application period for full admission to both Funeral Service Programs for the Spring 2025 semester is now closed. Please check for next application period starting March 1st, 2025, to apply for Fall 2025 semester.

PLEASE insure you have completed all (or in the last semester of completion of) pre-requisites before putting in application. 

Students who wish to be provisionally placed into the AAS Funeral Services Program should contact the Advising Center at advising@brightpoint.edu.

PURPOSE: This two-year degree prepares students for jobs in funeral services. Students who complete this degree are eligible to take the national board exam which is required to become a licensed funeral director. This degree is offered at the Chester Campus. All career-technical degrees are guided by advisory committees comprised of local business leaders.

CREDENTIALS: An Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree is a major in a career-technical area that takes two years for full-time students to complete.  Although the purpose of an AAS degree is to gain skills for employment, some transfer institutions may accept some or all of the courses from an AAS major. Students who complete this degree are eligible to take the national board exam which is required to become a licensed funeral director.

The college has entered into a regional reciprocity agreement through NC-SARA to accept out-of-state students (except for students residing in California) in our online programs and courses. Students may contact the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) at 804-225-2600 or communications@schev.edu for information related to state agency contacts for complaint resolution. General disclosure information about external certification or licensure requirements outside the state of Virginia may be found at www.brightpoint.edu/NC-SARA.   

PROGRAM OUTCOMES: By the completion of this program, students will be expected to demonstrate an intermediate level of competency in the following skills:

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

UNIQUE ASPECTS OF THE FUNERAL SERVICES PROGRAM: The Funeral Services Program at Brightpoint has been in existence for over 45 years, and is one of two funeral services programs in Virginia. Because there are limited options for studying funeral services in the Commonwealth, the college’s program is designed to be accommodating for students who may be traveling for class and/or working while enrolled in the program. Traditional classroom funeral services courses at Brightpoint are offered in a one-day-a-week format, rather than the traditional two- or three-day-a-week format. This type of scheduling alleviates the need for students to attend classes on the Chester Campus more than three times per week. In addition, the program offers some evening courses and courses during the summer semester. The program has an on-site embalming lab that is used to train students through hands-on experiences.

Program Requirements and Special Conditions

1. Students must contact the Advising Center to be provisionally placed in the Funeral Services curriculum. In addition to completing a general application to Brightpoint, students must also submit an application to the Funeral Services Program during the application period. To be considered for full admission into the Program, students must:

1. Be 18 years of age or older.
2. Complete the following required courses with a grade of “C” or better: ACC 211  Principles of Accounting I, BUS 100  Introduction to Business, BUS 240  Introduction to Business Law, CHM 110  Survey of Chemistry, ENG 111  College Composition I, BIO 145  Basic Human A & P, FNS 110  Introduction to Funeral Service, PSY 116   Psychology of Death and Dying, REL 230   Religions of the World, SDV 100   College Success Skills, SOC 200   Principles of Sociology  

2. ​If there are a limited number of slots for full-admission into the A.A.S. in Funeral Services Program, students will be ranked by GPA and whether they are currently employed in a funeral home.

3. Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA to continue in the Program. Students who fail to receive a minimum grade of “C” in any two courses with the prefix FNS will be removed from the Program. A minimum grade of “C” is required for all courses in the Funeral Services Program.

4. Once receiving full admission into the Funeral Services Program, full-time students will have 4 semesters (including summer) to complete the Program. Part-time students must complete the Program within 6 semesters (including summer). Exceptions may be made by the Funeral Services Program Director on a case-by-case basis.

5. All Funeral Services courses taken previously at Brightpoint or any other ABFSE accredited program must have been completed within 5 years of applying for full admission to the Program.