To become a mortician in the US, you typically earn an associate's degree in funeral service or mortuary science, complete supervised training of 1 to 3 years under a licensed funeral director, and pass a state and/or national board exam. Most states also require you to be 21 before you can be licensed.
The internship can come before, during or after your degree, which gives you more flexibility than most people realise. And one state does things very differently.
The facts here come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook page for funeral service workers, read on 26 October 2026. This is a careers guide about training, licensing and pay.
Mortician pay and jobs at a glance
| Measure | BLS figure |
|---|---|
| Median pay, morticians, undertakers and funeral arrangers (May 2025) | $55,010 a year |
| Lowest 10 in every 100 earned less than | $33,350 |
| Highest 10 in every 100 earned more than | $88,620 |
| Jobs in 2025, morticians, undertakers and funeral arrangers | About 26,700 |
| Projected growth 2025 to 2035, funeral service workers | 4%, about as fast as average |
| Openings each year, funeral service workers | About 5,600 on average |
Those pay figures are as of October 2026, from the May 2025 BLS wage survey.
The route in, step by step
- Take biology, chemistry, business and public speaking in high school if you can. Part-time or summer work in a funeral home is useful experience too.
- Enrol in an accredited funeral service or mortuary science program. Most offer a 2-year associate's degree at community colleges, and some offer a bachelor's.
- Study ethics, grief counseling, funeral service and business law. Accredited programs also teach embalming and restorative techniques.
- Complete your internship or apprenticeship under a licensed funeral director or manager. BLS says it usually lasts 1 to 3 years.
- Pass the state and/or national board exam your state requires.
- Apply for your licence, and keep it with continuing education credits, which most states require.
The licence rules people miss
Most states and Washington, DC, require funeral service workers to be licensed. The exception is Colorado, which BLS says offers a voluntary certification program instead. Most applicants elsewhere must meet four criteria:
- Be 21 years old.
- Complete an accredited funeral service or mortuary science program.
- Pass a state and/or national board exam.
- Serve an internship lasting 1 to 3 years.
Two more details catch people out. First, working in more than one state means holding more than one licence, so check each state board if you live near a border. Second, many states require a separate certification for anyone who performs cremations.
Mortician or funeral home manager: the pay gap
| Role | Median pay, May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Funeral home managers | $78,790 |
| Funeral service workers overall | $61,410 |
| Morticians, undertakers and funeral arrangers | $55,010 |
Managers earned a median of $78,790 against $55,010 for morticians and funeral arrangers, as of October 2026. BLS says funeral home managers typically have several years of experience as a funeral director or mortician first, so management is the natural next step rather than a separate route in.
Many funeral home managers run their own business
Self-employed workers make up 58% of funeral home managers, and the rest mostly work in death care services. For morticians, undertakers and funeral arrangers it's the other way round: 93% work in death care services. So if you see yourself owning a funeral home one day, plan to build both the licence and business skills, which is why business law sits in the training.
If that's your long-term plan, our guide to funeral home software covers the systems that run arrangements and records, and these tips for starting a small business cover the basics of setting up on your own.
What the work is like
BLS says the work is often stressful, because the details of a funeral must be arranged within 24 to 72 hours of a death, sometimes for several funerals on the same day. Most funeral service workers are full time, some work more than 40 hours a week, and being on call is common, including evenings and weekends.
It's also emotionally demanding work with families at their hardest moment. That's why grief counseling and ethics sit next to embalming in the training.
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Is it the right fit?
It's not a job for everyone, and that's fine. You'll deal with grieving families, work irregular hours and be on call, and you'll handle the technical side of embalming as well. If you're calm, organised and good with people when they're upset, you'll likely find it rewarding. If you're not sure, a part-time or summer job in a funeral home is the best test there is, and BLS points to that kind of experience as useful preparation.
How long it takes
Plan for a 2-year associate's degree and an internship of 1 to 3 years. Because the internship can run before, during or after your degree, some people finish both close together. Add time for the board exam, and remember the age rule: in most states you can't be licensed before 21.
My verdict
Becoming a mortician is a focused route: a 2-year mortuary science degree, an internship of 1 to 3 years and a board exam, with a licence in every state except Colorado. Entry pay is modest, but funeral home management pays far more, and many managers own their business. If you're steady under pressure and want work that matters to families, start with a part-time job in a funeral home before you commit to the program.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to become a mortician?
Typically a 2-year associate's degree in funeral service or mortuary science plus supervised training of 1 to 3 years, then a board exam.
How old do you have to be to become a mortician?
Most states require funeral service applicants to be 21 years old to be licensed.
Do all states require morticians to be licensed?
Most states and Washington, DC, do. BLS says Colorado is the exception, with a voluntary certification program.
How much do morticians make?
BLS reports a median of $55,010 a year for morticians, undertakers and funeral arrangers in May 2025, as of October 2026.
Can you do the mortuary internship before your degree?
Yes. BLS says the training may be completed before, during or after graduating from a mortuary science program and passing a national board exam.
Do you need a separate certification to perform cremations?
In many states, yes. BLS says many states require certification for those who perform cremations.
