Accreditation Decisions
COA meets two times each year (April and October) and utilizes special meetings, if necessary.
Current decisions of COA are reported on this webpage and decisions since October 2013, may be reviewed under the tab -
Past COA Decisions. Effective in 2019, accreditation decision information is included in the ABFSE Directory of Accredited Programs.
Committee on Accreditation (COA) Actions:
April 2023 The Committee on Accreditation of the American Board of Funeral Service Education took the following actions regarding these funeral service/mortuary science education programs at the April 11-12, 2023 meeting in Atlanta, GA:
Re-accreditation for a period of seven (7) years
Salt Lake Community College, West Jordan, UT Reaccredited with no stipulations.
COA recognized the strength of the faculty, college
and advisory council support for the program, a detailed and comprehensive embalming certification process and an exemplary assessment plan.
St. Peterburg College, Pinellas
Park, FL Reaccredited with no stipulations.
COA acknowledged the dedicated program director and faculty, the overall level of institutional commitment to the program and the
supportive Advisory Board.
University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK Reaccredited with no stipulations.
COA acknowledged the level of institutional support for the
program in the number of full-time faculty assigned to the program and release time for the program director, the collegial, student-centered culture that exists, excellent library facilities
and the opportunities for exceptional clinical experience.
Approval to offer Distance Education
Lake Washington Institute of Technology, Kirkland, WA
Removed from Probation: return to good standing
AAMI, New York, NY Having satisfactorily addressed probation issues, re-accreditation of the program is granted for a period of three (3)
years with stipulations to provide an updated assessment plan and Curriculum Distribution by ABFSE Content Area.
American River College, Sacramento, CA Having satisfactorily
addressed probation issues, re-accreditation of the program is granted for a period of seven (7) retroactive from 2022. A Focus Visit will be scheduled when the program completes the
anticipated move into new facilities.
Kansas City Kansas Community College, Kansas City, Kansas Having satisfactorily addressed probation issues, re-accreditation of the
program is granted for a period of seven (7) years with the stipulation to provide an updated assessment plan populated with current 2023 data by March 1, 2024.
Removed from Administrative Probation:
return to good standing after submitting delinquent reports and/or payment of associated fees.
East Mississippi Community College, Scooba, MS Southwest Tennessee Community College, Memphis,
TN Community College of Baltimore County - Catonsville, Catonsville, MD
Probation
Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY The Mortuary Science program is on Probation status for one year and is expected to address the
following issues regarding accreditation standards 1,3,5,7,9,10:
- Provide evidence of Advisory Board meetings and the institutional process for internal communications.
- Provide evidence that program records are effectively maintained.
- Update course syllabi.
- Ensure consistent documentation and record-keeping for mandatory evaluation of student competencies in embalming and funeral directing.
- Update affiliation agreements for use of off-campus instructional sites.
- Update the program's student handbook.
- Provide evidence that a documented assessment plan is in place to measure program effectiveness and to implement necessary improvements.
Probation status requires the designated issues to be addressed in two stages. The first response is due September 1, 2023 and the completed response by
March 1, 2024.
Other actions taken by the Committee on Accreditation did not affect the accredited status of the programs involved.
The following institutions/programs will be considered for scheduled re-accreditation through a formal review by the Committee on Accreditation at the
regularly scheduled meeting October 18-19, 2023. Charlotte, NC.
Re-accreditation:
East Mississippi Community College, Scooba, MS Hudson Valley Community College, Troy, NY
Mid-America College of Funeral Service, Jeffersonville, IN Vincennes University, Vincennes, IN Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
The following institutions/programs will be considered for approval to offer Distance Education following a formal
review by the Committee on Accreditation at the next scheduled meeting October 18-19, 2023. Charlotte, NC.
Approval to offer Distance Education
Cape Cod Community College, Bridgewater, MA Goodwin University, E. Hartford, CT
The above schedule is subject to change.
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Public comment regarding the above may be submitted to the ABFSE office prior to September 1, 2023.
Executive Director Robert C. Smith III 992 Mantua Pike, Suite 108 Woodbury Heights,
NJ 08097 Office: (816) 233-3747 Email: exdir@abfse.org
Download the above information
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Past COA Decisions (all documents below are presented in PDF format)
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