Fayetteville Technical Community College has added Wayne Community College to its list of partner institutions to expand access to Funeral Service Education.

Leadership from the two colleges met at Wayne CC’s Goldsboro campus on Oct. 31 to sign an educational agreement allowing Wayne students to attend their local community college to earn their general education credits before seamlessly completing their Funeral Service Education courses through FTCC’s curriculum program.

The FTCC program, which is led by a team of faculty who are all licensed funeral professionals, is the only American Board of Funeral Service Education-accredited program in the state. The majority of the coursework can be completed online, and the program includes a capstone course for National Board Exam review.

The State Board of Funeral Service of North Carolina requires that students complete an apprenticeship or resident traineeship at a licensed funeral home before being eligible for licensure.

The 2-year program has three courses that require in-person training. This agreement allows Wayne students to do that training at local funeral homes in their community or to travel to FTCC’s campus to complete the training through lab hours.

Wayne joins five other community colleges to sign Funeral Service Education agreements with FTCC. 

“There is a statewide shortage in this industry, and FTCC is joining with our educational partners to provide these opportunities,” said Dr. Sharon Gallagher, the dean over FTCC’s Funeral Service program, in a press release.