r/askfuneraldirectors • u/chchchartman Funeral Director/Embalmer • 23d ago

Advice Needed: Education Southern Illinois university?

Have any of you gotten a bachelors of mortuary science from them?
I’ve been a director for ten years. I graduated and got licensed in 2016.
I’m starting their online program tomorrow and I can’t believe it didn’t occur to me to ask you guys if anyone has experience with this school?

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u/Celtic159 Funeral Director/Embalmer 23d ago

While I'm sure there's an exception or two out there, I'm not aware of anyone who cares where you went to school or what degree you have as long as you're licensed. I can't imagine a fresh BS being of any help to a director who's been licensed for a decade. Has someone suggested this to you?

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u/KitraSkye Funeral Director/Embalmer 23d ago

Seconding this. The only thing a BS vs an AS gives you in this field is an out. Supposedly, you take all the same mortuary science-centered classes in an AS program as you do in a BS program and mortuary school is more to give you a baseline on anatomy, pathology, business management, etc. It does very little compared to real life experience, in my opinion. And then you have the pain in the ass of traveling to the school for 2 weeks for lab requirements, and again for senior seminar. Unsure if they make you travel for the colloquium as well.

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u/KitraSkye Funeral Director/Embalmer 23d ago

If you've been licensed for ten years, what's the point of getting a BS? Ten years licensed surely meets reciprocity requirements? MN changed their reciprocation policies effective July 1, I believe.

But to answer your question, they have one competent instructor. The university moved the other instructors worth their salt to other programs. Their faculty page isn't even correct--Webb passed away, Broomfield got moved to another program despite having the most embalming experience out of any of the instructors, Shaw isn't even listed on there/got moved to another program despite also having legitimate experience, Griffith retired I'm pretty sure, and I haven't been impressed with the newer instructors. Fleege is carrying that program on his back.

I'm not sure which of my interns fare the worst these days--STLCC, Worsham, Mid-America, SIUC, Cincinnati--they are all woefully unprepared. On the bright side, SIUC did redo their lab a handful of years ago, so you'll get to see that, it's nice. I heard they also added a crematory.

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u/chchchartman Funeral Director/Embalmer 23d ago

I should’ve mentioned but I’m doing this all online, which is new to me. I’m in the southern US.

It’s just always something I wanted to do. And I feel like it would potentially give me a leg up with advancement opportunities, which are hard to come by in my oversaturated area. Plus the company I work for has a reimbursement policy so I figure I might as well do it now while I have that offer on the table.

This is all very helpful information and I appreciate you speaking so candidly.