The Premortuary Science Curriculum*
(NOTE: This curriculum is only for the associate degree states. It is not applicable for Ohio. See the State Requirements section of this catalog.)
Students who have completed only high school or the G.E.D. level of study may enter CCMS in the fall in the premortuary science curriculum for general college courses. The courses below are offered for fall and winter quarters and are considered a series. Upon completion of this two-quarter sequence, the student enters CCMS in the spring class in the mortuary science curriculum.
| Fall Quarter |
Qtr. Hrs. |
Lecture |
Lab |
| ENG 101 English Composition I |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| PSY 101 General Psychology I |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| SOC 101 General Sociology I |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| BIO 101 General Biology I |
4 |
3 |
2 |
| |
13 |
12 |
2 |
| Winter Quarter |
Qtr. Hrs. |
Lecture |
Lab |
| ENG 101 English Composition II |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| PSY 101 General Psychology II |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| SOC 101 General Sociology II |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| BIO 101 General Biology II |
4 |
3 |
2 |
| |
13 |
12 |
2 |
*Note: The Associate Degree does not fulfill licensing requirements in all states. Please refer to the Admissions section of this catalog.
The Mortuary Science Curriculum
(NOTE: THIS CURRICULUM IS ONLY FOR THE BACHELOR’S DEGREE)
Following is the mortuary science curriculum of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. Students must have 60 semester/90 quarter credit hours or A.A.S./B.S./B.A. from a regionally accredited school to enter this curriculum.
The student who wishes to complete the A.A.S. degree in the minimum time schedule of 12 months must follow this outline and carry the required number of credit hours each term. The student who wishes to take courses at a reduced load (CCMS defines full-time as 12 credit hours or more) will need at least 18 months to complete the courses. The Bachelor's degree requires the 5th quarter in addition to the first 4 quarters. Students may not take the 5th quarter until they have completed the first 4.
| Quarter 1 |
Qtr. Hrs. |
Lecture |
Lab |
| MGT 300 Accounting |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| MGT 310 Business Law |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| SOC 310 Social Aspects of Death & Dying |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| SCI 300 Clinical Orientation and Terminology |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| SCI 310 Anatomy |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| SCI 320 Embalming Theory I |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| |
18 |
16 |
4 |
| Quarter 2 |
Qtr. Hrs. |
Lecture |
Lab |
| SOC 300 History of Funeral Service |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| SOC 320 Contemporary Funeral Practices |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| SOC 330 Professional Relationships In Funeral Service |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| MGT 360 Cremation Fundamentals |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| SCI 320 Embalming Theory II |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| SCI 360 Clinical Mortuary Practice I |
1 |
0 |
2 |
| SCI 370 Thanatochemistry |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| SCI 375 Restorative Art I |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| |
19 |
17 |
4 |
| Quarter 3 |
Qtr. Hrs. |
Lecture |
Lab |
| MGT 320 Finance and Pricing |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| MGT 340 Mortuary Regulation |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| MGT 350 Preneed |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| MGT 370 Vital Statistics |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| SCI 341 Embalming Theory III |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| SCI 376 Restorative Art II |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| SCI 380 Clinical Mortuary Practice II |
1 |
0 |
2 |
| SCI 400 Systemic Pathology |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| |
19 |
17 |
4 |
| Quarter 4 |
Qtr. Hrs. |
Lecture |
Lab |
| MGT 400 Funeral Home Org. & Management |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| MGT 410 Funeral Home Merchandising |
4 |
3 |
2 |
| MGT 420 Funeral Directing Applications |
4 |
2 |
3 |
| SOC 400 Psych of Grief, Counseling Procedures |
4 |
3 |
2 |
| SCI 410 Clinical Mortuary Practice III |
1 |
0 |
2 |
| SCI 420 Pathogenic Microbiology |
3 |
3 |
0 |
| |
19 |
14 |
9 |
| Quarter 5 (Bachelor's Degree) |
Qtr. Hrs. |
Lecture |
Lab |
| ENG 400 *Death in Literature |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| MGT 430 Legal Issues in Funeral Service |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| MGT 440 *Disaster Management |
2 |
0 |
3 |
| MGT 442 *Cemetery Issues |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| MGT 450 Funeral Service Co-op |
5 |
0 |
10 |
| SOC 410 Professional Ethics |
2 |
2 |
0 |
| SOC 420 *Funeral Aftercare |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| SCI 440 Gross Anatomy for the Embalmer |
2 |
0 |
3 |
| SCI 441 *CPR-First Aid-Airway Obstruction |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| |
15-17 |
8 |
17 |
*Note: The asterisk denotes electives courses. The student must take a minimum of 15 credit hrs. The Co-op consists of 30 hours per week for 4 weeks of supervised work and study in the funeral home setting.
Sequential Courses
CCMS lays out its courses in a sequence for a reason. It is in the best interest of the student to follow course sequencing as closely as possible. CCMS realizes that students need some flexibility in scheduling and not every student is able to carry maximum course loads. In the description of the CCMS mortuary science curriculum above, certain courses are elective or may be transferred from other colleges to help the student reduce the course load. If the student finds it necessary to carry fewer hours per term, he or she should work closely with the academic Dean to avoid scheduling conflicts.
CCMS courses which must be taken in sequence:
1. Clinical Orientation 300 must be taken/passed before Clinical Mortuary Practice.
2. Social Aspects 310 should be taken/passed before Contemporary Funeral Practices 320 and Psychology of Grief. Students must pass Contemporary Funeral Practices 320 before enrolling in the Funeral Directing Applications 420 course.
3. Embalming Theory 320 must be taken/passed before Embalming Theory 340 and 341.
4. Funeral Home Merchandising, Funeral Directing Applications, and Psychology of Grief are taken together in the fourth quarter because of shared laboratory requirements.
5. Restorative Art 375 is taken/passed before Restorative Art 376.