Founded in 1882 by Joseph H. Clarke, known as the “father of American embalming schools,” CCMS was originally called the Cincinnati School of Embalming located at the corner of Park and Sixth Streets in Cincinnati, Ohio. The first class was organized Monday, March 8, 1882, with seven students attending training which lasted six days learning rudimentary instruction in the use of chemicals and methods of preservation taking place in Cincinnati’s Pulte Medical College amphitheater. After teaching three more cohorts locally that same year, Mr. Clarke took his knowledge to four major U.S. cities, teaching 106 students before the year’s end. The Clarke School was officially established and changed hands in 1909 to Charles Dhonau, who renamed it the Cincinnati College of Embalming.

After the purchase of the school in 1909 by Charles O. Dhonau, instruction was expanded to include aspects of public health and more sophisticated knowledge of human anatomy, embalming disinfection, and restoration. The school was allotted space in General Hospital in 1915 and became the official department for embalming treatment of hospital cases. As the curriculum and physical facilities grew over the following years, the school realized the need for its own building and Faculty independent of other agencies. In 1933, CCMS moved into a newly remodeled building at 3200 Reading Road and remained there for the next 46 years.

In 1966, the Cincinnati School of Embalming became the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. The new name was adopted to reflect the expanding nature of its curriculum and the higher level of academic instruction available to its students, most of whom were required to have 2 years of general college prior to entering CCMS. From 1966 until 1977, CCMS maintained a cooperative academic program with the University of Cincinnati. 

In 1970, Charles Dhonau transferred the assets of CCMS to the Cincinnati Foundation for Mortuary Education. Under the direction of the Foundation, CCMS became a private, non-profit, tax-exempt entity. 

In 1977, in response to an increasing interest in higher education and the evolution of the Funeral Service profession, CCMS established 2-year and 4-year programs with Edgecliff College. CCMS and Edgecliff agreed to accept transfer credits from one another, and CCMS moved onto the Edgecliff campus in 1979. 

In 1980 Edgecliff was purchased by Xavier University and in 1987 CCMS moved onto the main campus. Because of continued growth, CCMS built its own permanent home in 1995 at 645 W. North Bend Road. 

In 1980, CCMS received authorization from the Ohio Board of Regents to award the Associate of Applied Science degree, and in 1982 it received accreditation of that degree by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1986, CCMS became the first private college of mortuary science in the nation to be authorized to award the Bachelor of Mortuary Science degree. In 1987, the North Central Association of Colleges and the American Board of Funeral Service Education awarded accreditation of a program at the bachelor’s degree level. Currently, CCMS programs are regionally accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) and the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. 

With a focus in hands-on applications and clinical/restorative art lab training, construction of a new addition in September 2023, known as the Educational Cremation Center, was completed with the intention of creating a venue where students apply practical applications to develop confidence and competence in all aspects of funeral service, including cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, pet loss, and hospitality management.  A state-of-the-art FTIII Cremator was installed as part of the construction, considered the most advanced type of retort for the time.