How to Become a Funeral Director or Embalmer in Ohio
Career guide · Last reviewed July 2026 · By the OhioLicenseCheck.com team
Funeral service is a licensed profession with a distinctive promise: your work matters on the worst day of someone’s life, and demand never depends on the economy. Ohio requires dual credentials for full practice — funeral directing and embalming — and hosts one of the country’s most storied training programs at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, founded in 1882.
Education
Mortuary science degree + apprenticeship
Time to license
~3–5 years
Exams
National Board Examination + Ohio law requirements
Typical pay
Ohio funeral professionals roughly $50–75k; owners/managers higher (BLS-based estimates)
Licenses covered
- Funeral Director
- Embalmer
Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors by the numbers
These figures are ours, not the board's — we computed them from the full State of Ohio licence file so you can see this board in context rather than one record at a time. Data as of September 2026.
14,054
licences on record
40.8%
currently active
0.27%
carry a board action
94.2%
licensed on first application
Only 40.8% of the 14,054 licences this board has on record are currently active — the other 59.2% belong to people who retired, moved, changed careers, or simply let a credential lapse. That gap is the single best reason to verify a licence rather than assume a name in a database means somebody may practise today.
Most common licence types
| Licence type | On record |
|---|---|
| Funeral Director | 4,468 |
| Embalmer | 3,378 |
| Registration | 2,005 |
| Certified Funeral Director Apprenticeship | 1,874 |
| Certified Embalmer Apprenticeship | 1,179 |
When a licence from this board is not active, the most common reason recorded is advanced (4,119 records), followed by lapsed (1,781). Our status dictionary explains what each label actually means.
0.27% of this board's licences carry a recorded board action (38 of 14,054), against about 1.6% across all Ohio professions. A board action covers everything from an administrative consent agreement to revocation, and it is cumulative over a licence's whole life — see how we measured that before reading much into it.
Computed by OhioLicenseCheck from the State of Ohio eLicense dataset (issued licences only; application records excluded). Refreshed daily.
Why choose this path
- Deeply meaningful, respected community role
- Demand is demographic, not economic — utterly recession-proof
- Family-firm ownership and succession opportunities across Ohio’s many independent funeral homes
- Dual licensure (director + embalmer) maximizes employability
- An aging owner generation means acquisition opportunities for younger licensees
Path to the license
- 1
Earn a mortuary science degree
ABFSE-accredited programs — Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science is the in-state standard-bearer.
- 2
Pass the National Board Examination
Arts and sciences sections through The Conference (ICFSEB), plus Ohio-specific law requirements.
- 3
Complete the Ohio apprenticeship
A registered apprenticeship under licensed practitioners covers directing and embalming casework.
- 4
License through the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors
Individual licenses plus facility licenses for any funeral home or crematory you operate; renew with CE.
Pay and outlook
BLS puts funeral-service workers’ national median near $60,000; Ohio salaried directors and embalmers typically earn $50,000–75,000, with managing directors and owners meaningfully above that. Preneed sales roles add commission-based upside.
An aging population and a wave of retiring owners make this an unusually opportunity-rich moment for new licensees.
Where Ohioans train
Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science
Founded 1882; one of the nation’s premier mortuary programs
Schools listed are well-known examples, not endorsements — always compare accreditation, cost, and outcomes.
Official links & resources
Licensed by the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors
Read our verification guide for this board — what the license record shows, renewal cycles, and how employers check it.
Curious what a real license looks like?
Look up any current funeral services license in the official Ohio record — and when you earn yours, set a free expiry alert so it never lapses.
Try a Free License LookupPay figures are approximate, based on recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and Ohio market observations; actual earnings vary by employer, region, and experience. Licensure requirements change — always confirm current rules with the board and programs linked above. This guide is general information, not career or legal advice.