Morticians and funeral arrangers help families through one of life's most difficult moments. You'll handle arrangements, prepare facilities, and provide compassionate support. The work requires an associate degree and strong interpersonal skills. It is meaningful, in demand, and you can build a career without a four-year degree.
Pathly builds you a free, personalized roadmap and helps your counselor champion you along the way.
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers work directly with grieving families to plan and coordinate funeral services. You listen carefully to understand their wishes, document preferences, and schedule all the details. You manage the practical and emotional aspects of arrangements, from selecting caskets to coordinating with clergy and cemeteries. You also prepare facilities, maintain records, and ensure families feel supported throughout the process. This work blends administrative tasks with genuine human connection.
Core work activities
Career video courtesy of CareerOneStop.
Morticians, Undertakers, and Funeral Arrangers earn a median of $55,010 a year, based on 2025 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and location.
The outlook is steady. Employment is projected to grow 3 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as average for all occupations, with about 3,200 openings a year.
Top skills
Knowledge areas
You'll need an associate degree to enter this field. Your education covers customer service, psychology, and business administration alongside funeral service practices. During your studies, you'll develop skills in active listening, writing, and critical thinking. You'll learn how to communicate clearly with families under stress and manage the many moving parts of a service. Job Zone 3 preparation means you're building medium-level technical and interpersonal expertise before you start.
Most people enter this career through an associate degree program in funeral service. If you're exploring whether this path fits your timeline and goals, Pathly can map the mortician, undertaker, and funeral arranger path that fits you to map out the steps with your counselor.
Many mortician, undertaker, and funeral arrangers must be licensed, and professional certifications can strengthen your resume.
Common certifications
Licensing is handled at the state level and the requirements vary, so check the licensing board in your state. Pathly shows your state's specific steps inside your roadmap.
You're organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable with systems and procedures. You also genuinely care about helping people during vulnerable times and communicating with clarity and respect.
Reading about a career is the easy part. Turning it into a plan is where most students get stuck. Pathly takes you from curious to a clear next step, and gives your counselor the insight to champion you along the way.
Start with a quick quiz and assessments that surface your personality, your EQ, and what really motivates you, so your next steps are built around who you actually are.
Your free AI guide weighs this career against your strengths and goals, and surfaces the colleges, trades, and scholarships that match, so you know if it truly fits before you commit.
Get a personalized, step-by-step plan to reach this career, with the training, coursework, and credentials tracked in one place. Link your school or IEC and your counselor in the loop.
Last updated July 1, 2026.
Data sources. Career details from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Salary and outlook figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 wages; 2024–2034 projections), delivered via the CareerOneStop API. Certification, licensing, wage, and outlook data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).