Funeral Service program granted seven-year reaccreditation

funeral services faculty

Congratulations are in order for the entire Funeral Service Education team: Rebecca M. Robidas Gardner, Abby Shurtz, Savannah Calhoun, Olga Retana, and Manuel Osorio. 

Northeast Texas Community College recently received notification that its Funeral Service program has been granted a seven-year reaccreditation with the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE). This makes NTCC one of only four accreditated funeral service education programs in the state of Texas. Students who graduate from the program with an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) Degree in Funeral Services are eligible to sit for their National Board Exams in both funeral directing and embalming.

“In the past couple of years, the funeral service program has seen dramatic growth. I am so excited that the program has reached this goal to continue providing superior academic experiences and developing future funeral service practitioners.” Rebecca Robidas Gardner, NTCC Director of Funeral Service Education, said.

Most of the program work is completed in an online environment with real-world practical experiences being completed in local funerals homes and through an on-campus practicum in the final semester. Thus far, the A.A.S. and Certificate programs have graduated 43 Funeral Directing and Embalming students and anticipate the graduation of 33 more students this May.