College Of Southern Nevada Offering Degree In Funeral Services

Sad to say, but the business of dying is not dying. And now you can work in it.

Did you watch Six Feet Under? It was about the funeral business, and Fisher and Company Funeral Home. A great show. Quirky, dark, funny, sad - and one of the best series finales ever.

The College of Southern Nevada will launch Nevada's first degree program for Funeral Services in the fall. Don't know that it will emulate the Fisher Family's business or lives, but it will give you the fundamentals of understanding what it's about, day in and day out, said Raymond Giddens, Jr. the program’s director.

The first class will have 10 to 12 students who will work towards their associate's degree in the field. They are hoping the program can expand in the years to come.

Yes, it deals with death, but also people who are very much alive, and their family members, after their family member passes. They need people that are compassionate, and caring. People who have integrity, and will go out of their way to make sure that something so devastating, becomes something that is memorable, and precious at the end of the day.

For years, students have had to leave Nevada in order to get the education needed for this career field. The one that prepares them to be funeral directors, embalmers, and funeral arrangers.

The National Funeral Directors Association wound up in a labor shortage in the field in 2022, brought on by the pandemic. They expect the employment rate in the field to increase by about 4% through 2030 This would make hiring in the future, a challenge without a pipeline for workers. That’s why the program at CSN is important..

The program will use both the classroom, and partnerships with area funeral homes to really give students the hands-on training needed.

The industry deals with so many different cultures, faith-wise, ethnicity-wise, and everyone has a different way of doing things. If you don’t have the education. it’s hard to work within the industry.

Now go watch Six Feet Under. Just because it's a good series.