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National Institute of Funeral Service
Innovative Online College Where You Earn an Associate's Degree in Applied Science in 24 Months or Less!
Our Mission Statement
NIFS is an innovative 21st century institution that has reinvented a teaching and learning process that mirrors how people work and live in these dramatically changing times. It recognizes that there is not a single methodology that will serve all students. Therefore, the faculty and students will use different approaches to achieve the mastery of the curriculum that allows the student to fit their learning into their busy lives.
Why Become a Funeral Director?
Looking for a rewarding career where you help people every day? Looking for a career with a great number of job openings? You have come to the right place!
Experienced Professionals
The staff at NIFS are all trained professionals who excel in the field of funeral service. Many of our educators also have supplement training in alternative learning strategies.
Unique Approach
A FLUID teaching method is used at NIFS, it is based on an innovative and result-oriented technique that helps students overcome barriers to bring concrete results.
Learn Live Via Zoom, Online, or Hybrid
Some people learn best on their own; others prefer learning in groups. At NIFS, you can choose the environment that works best for you.
About NIFS
The National Institute of Funeral Service (NIFS) offers an associate degree in Applied Science in Funeral Service (A.A.S.). NIFS will require 64 credit hours of course work, which can be completed by either attending part-time or full-time. The A.A.S. is designed to meet the needs of the funeral service industry in Maine and the greater New England area. Students attending NIFS will become active participants in the success of private higher education in Maine. NIFS is especially attentive to the academic goals of all students earning an undergraduate degree. Students will have a remarkable experience, NIFS provides a student-centered individualized approach to college learning. Community is cultivated within and beyond the student body, engaging a supportive network of the New England communities. The school's population will represent a dynamic mosaic. We envision students coming from Maine and all over the United States.
In 2020, NIFS began constructing the mission statement that the college would be developed around. This document sets forth NIFS's academic mission, vision, values, goals, and initiatives for the next 10 years. Highlights of the Academic Mission, Visions, Values, and Goals are to:
- Enhance and expand opportunities by engaging rigorous and transformative learning experiences.
- Integrate student support services throughout all stages of student life to ensure student success at NIFS.
- Ensure a culture of development and continuous improvement through appropriate and meaningful assessment.
- Develop and implement an institutional advancement and financial model to support NIFS's programs, students, faculty, and staff.
- Ensure the planning and building of websites and learning management systems that meet and sustain the long-range strategic needs of NIFS.
The NIFS has the following two areas of emphasis: - engaging and challenging - Funeral Service Students. Fill out the Contact Us sections, we will provide you with details of how the NIFS will incorporate these areas of emphasis: program administration, student advising, program educational objectives, admission standards and the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE - accreditors) requirements. The heart and soul of NIFS will be its faculty, students, staff, and President.
Course Offerings
We excel at preparing students for the funeral service industry.
Major: A.A.S. FUNERAL SERVICE
MORT 101 Communications and Public Speaking
Course Description:
This course provides composition and public speaking skill-building. Students are required to write and speak on
topics related to funeral service. The focus is on learning how to write, interpret and analyze literary selections.
The course will cover verbal and non-verbal skills, listening, and business communications.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MORT 102 Mathematics
Course Description:
This course provides mathematical skills needed for s life. Students will learn fundamental mathematical operations, solve problems, and estimate the reasonableness of solutions.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MORT 103 Science
Course Description:
This course is designed for students to explore the basic tenets of scientific thinking, including the scientific method, as well as other quantitative and qualitative approaches to science. It will cover scientific vocabulary, prefixes, and suffixes.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MORT 104 Introduction to Anatomy I
Course Description:
This course provides information on subdivisions, topographical anatomy, integumentary, skeletal, digestive, urinary, reproductive, and respiratory systems.
Prerequisite: MORT 103 Science
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MORT 105 Introduction to Embalming I
Course Description:
This course provides information on regulatory considerations, technical orientation, pre-
embalming changes, post-embalming changes, and embalming chemical concepts.
Prerequisite: MORT 103 Science
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MLAW 201 Mortuary Law and State Rules
Course Description:
This course provides information on law concepts, funeral service law, pre-need law, final
disposition, probate, and state/federal statutes.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MBUS 201 Accounting
This course provides basic accounting concepts. It covers business ownership, starting your own business, payroll accounting, taxes and reporting, cash, payables, receivables, and other applicable topics for small business operation.
Prerequisite: MORT 102 Mathematics
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MBUS 202 Small Bus. Mgmt. and Law
This course provides small business and business law concepts. It covers legal forms, business plans, contracts, and insurance.
Prerequisite: MORT 102 Mathematics and MBUS 201 Accounting
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MBUS 203 Fun. Merch. And Funeral Mgmt.
Course Description:
This course provides information on caskets, outer burial containers, cremation merchandise, concepts in management, and operational policies.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MBUS 204 Disposition and FTC
This course provides crematory, cemetery, FTC information and history. It covers crematory/cemetery merchandise, services, and disposition trends.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MBUS 205 Funeral Directing
Course Description:
This course provides information on procedures, transferring of remains, preneed, documents, pre/post funeral directing, aftercare, religion, and funeral organizations.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MBUS 206 Practical Aspects of Funeral Serv. (Prac.)
Course Description:
This course provides students with the practical knowledge needed to be a funeral director. The student will work with funeral forms, first calls, visit places of worship, cemeteries, and crematories. The out of state students will complete the practical portion during their capstone visit in their final semester.
Prerequisite: MBUS 203 Funeral Merchandise and Funeral Management
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Online and in Local Funeral Homes
Credits: 2
Contact Hours: 2
MPUB 301 Chemistry
Course Description:
This course provides discussion on general chemistry, organic chemistry, and embalming chemistry. The course covers the use of embalming fluid, and chemical safety.
Prerequisite: MORT 103 Science
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MPUB 302 Microbiology
Course Description:
This course provides information on bacteria, disease, immunology, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and prions.
Prerequisite: MORT 103 Science
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MPUB 303 Anatomy II
Course Description:
This course provides information on cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous and muscular systems, and review of Anatomy I concepts.
Prerequisite: MORT 103 Science and Introduction to Anatomy I
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MPUB 304 Pathology
Course Description:
This course provides information on the etiology, cellular reactions, abnormalities, inflammation, and disease concepts.
Prerequisite: MORT 103 Science
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MPUB 305 Color and Restorative Art
Course Description:
This course provides information on restoration, bones, tissues, facial markings, sculpting with wax, and cosmetology concepts.
Prerequisite: MORT 103 Science
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MPUB 306 Embalming II
Course Description:
This course provides information on preparation of vessels, drainage methods, cavity treatment, and closure methods in embalming concepts.
Prerequisite: MORT 103 Science and MORT 105 Embalming I
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MPUB 307 Clinical
Course Description:
This course requires each student actively participate in the embalming of at least 10 human remains under the institute’s supervision. The out of state students will complete 10 embalming’s during their capstone visit in their last semester.
Lab fee will be required.
Prerequisite: MORT 105 Introduction to Embalming I
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Online and Local Funeral Homes
Credits: 2
Contact Hours: 2
MSOC 201 Sociology and Ethics
Course Description:
This course provides sociology and ethics concepts. The course covers family structures, funeral rites, social factors, generational/ethical values, code of ethics, the funeral service oath, and ethics in the funeral industry.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MSOC 202 Death, Dying and History
Course Description:
This course provides information on the history of mortuaries, 19th and 20th century funerals, funeral practices and modern-day funeral concepts.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
MSOC 203 Psychology
Course Description:
This course provides information on social behavior, funeral service psychology, theories of grief, counseling, characteristics of a funeral director and interpersonal concepts.
Prerequisite: MSOC 202 Death, Dying and History
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer
Offering: Live via Zoom and Online
Credits: 3
Contact Hours: 3
Admissions
The NIFS Admissions Process is as simple as filling out an application and sending an official High School transcript. NIFS has an open admissions policy, and an academic specialist will support students every step of the way.
An online application is required, which will be reviewed by an academic specialist for all interested applicants. Acceptance into NIFS requires a high school diploma or a General Education Diploma (GED).
- Applicants of NIFS are required to:
- Complete an application for admission to NIFS
- Pay a $50 non-refundable application fee
- Submit proof of high school graduation or equivalent OR sign a Certification of Attainment of a high school diploma or equivalent. (In some cases, you may need to follow up with your school to make sure your transcript is sent to NIFS).
If you have previously earned college credits or a degree, send your official college transcript to NIFS. Although an unofficial transcript is sufficient for you to enroll and register for your first semester coursework, you must be able to provide an official transcript in order to officially transfer those credits to NIFS (we can typically review your transcripts of prior learning in less than one business day).
All applicants will be informed of their status within one week of applying. Once you are accepted you will receive the Catalog and the Student Handbook!
NIFS is seeking candidacy for accreditation from the ABFSE.
Students applying for admission to the funeral service program at NIFS should contact their respective state licensing agency regarding that state agency's approval.
Transfer Credit Policy
Transfer Credits
If you have previously earned college credits or a degree, send your official college transcript to NIFS. Although an unofficial transcript is sufficient for you to enroll and register for your first semester coursework, you must be able to provide an official transcript in order to officially transfer those credits to NIFS (we can typically review your transcripts of prior learning in less than one business day).**
**Transfer Credits- that are accepted by NIFS, will count toward your pace calculations but will not count in your GPA/CGPA calculations.
American Board of Funeral Service (ABFSE) Program Learning Outcomes
Program Learning Outcomes
- 2.1.1 Explain the importance of funeral service professionals in developing relationships with families and communities they serve.
- 2.1.2 Identify standards of ethical conduct in funeral service practice.
- 2.1.3 Interpret how federal, state, and local laws apply to funeral service in order to ensure compliance.
- 2.1.4 Apply principles of public health and safety in the handling and preparations of human remains.
- 2.1.5 Demonstrate technical skills in embalming and restorative art that are necessary for the preparation and handling of human remains.
- 2.1.6 Demonstrate skills required for conducting arrangement conferences, visitations, services and ceremonies.
- 2.1.7 Describe the requirements and procedure for burial, cremation, and other accepted forms of final disposition of human remains.
- 2.1.8 Describe methods to address the grief-related need of the bereaved.
- 2.1.9 Explain management skills associated with operating a funeral establishment.
- 2.1.10 Demonstrate verbal and written communication skills and research skills needed for funeral service practice.
ABFSE Statistics
This link will show all the statics for ABFSE Funeral Service Programs.
NIFS is seeking candidacy for accreditation by:
The American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE)
992 Mantua Pike
Suite 108
Woodbury Heights, NJ 08097
(816) 233-3747
This academic program is designed to meet specific state or professional needs. It is not accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education. Students graduating from this program are not eligible to take the National Board Examination or any state board examination for which graduation from an ABFSE accredited program is required.”
Students applying for admission to the funeral service program at NIFS should contact their respective state licensing agency regarding that state agency's approval.
National Board Examination pass rates, graduation rates and employment rates for this and other ABFSE-accredited programs are available at www.abfse.org. To request a printed copy of this program’s pass rates and rates, go to 4 Union Park Road, Suite 15, Topsham, ME 04086 or by e-mail info@nationalinstitutefs.com or by telephone 207-579-4985.