---
title: Is a Funeral Service and Mortuary Science degree worth the debt?
cip: 1203
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Funeral Service and Mortuary Science degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **6** colleges (6 of 6 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $40,421 ($38,597 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $15,540 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.41× a first year's pay


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $29,544 | $12,416 | 0.31× | 4 | 4/4 |
| Associate's | $36,324 | $14,496 | 0.40× | 30 | 30/30 |
| Bachelor's | $40,421 | $15,540 | 0.41× | 6 | 6/6 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (MN) | $51,139 | $15,540 |
| Wayne State University (MI) | $47,187 | $15,011 |
| Point Park University (PA) | $40,434 | — |
| University of Central Oklahoma (OK) | $40,408 | $24,200 |
| Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science (OH) | $36,899 | $15,000 |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale (IL) | $28,319 | $28,000 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/funeral-service-and-mortuary-science.jsonld` · `/education/fields/funeral-service-and-mortuary-science.json`