"Funeral Service Education Program" receives accreditation at Lake Washington Institute of Technology

Restorative art course teaches funeral
preparation skills 

from the desk of Jen Boyer, Media Relations, Lake Washington Institute of Seattle...

We’re excited to announce our "Funeral Service Education Program" received accreditation. All of our graduates from that first class have found work, which starts in the $40,000 to $50,000 a year pay range. We can provide students, graduates and/or faculty if you’re interested in an interview. Students come from all over the state to take our course.

Students in LWIT’s Funeral Service Education’s restorative art course learn valuable skills in applying cosmetics and performing hair styling in preparation for funeral presentation.

Press Release:   Read more >>

LWIT’s Funeral Service Education Program Receives Accreditation Kirkland, Wash.:

Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s (LWIT) Funeral Service Education program received accreditation last week by the American Board of Funeral Service Education. LWIT’s program is the only accredited program in the state of Washington and one of less than 60 in the U.S.

 “We worked hard for this distinction and are very excited, not only to be accredited, but also for the feedback we received from the accreditors who visited our school,” said Erin Wilcox, director of the program and full time faculty at LWIT. “They commented that our facilities were arguably the best in the country. In fact, many other schools don’t have labs on campus where our program is fully in-house.”

 LWIT’s program facilities include classrooms, a full three-table embalming lab, a nine-body cooler with an additional two-body cooler in the receiving area, and a display room complete with caskets, vaults, headstones, and other funeral items.

Graduates of LWIT’s Funeral Service Education program receive an associate of applied science degree in funeral service education and obtain the skills to work as professional funeral directors or embalmers. “A great deal goes into this education, from learning the physical skills of embalming and business management, to an understanding the psychology of grief and customer service with compassion,” Wilcox said. “This program attracts people with business and planning sense who have a strong calling to help families during a very difficult time. It is a very rewarding career.”

 LWIT’s intensive seven quarter program provides students with knowledge in sociology, psychology, accounting, business management, law, chemistry, anatomy, microbiology, pathology, restorative art, funeral directing and embalming. Students must also pass national and state board exams to graduate.

LWIT’s program started in the fall of 2009. In 2010, the program received accreditation candidacy status. The first class finished in March 2011. A class must complete the program in order for the program to be eligible for full accreditation. Unique to LWIT is the Gifted Body program, where families with limited financial resources or those wishing to contribute to education may donate the body of a loved one. Transportation and cremation services are provided at no charge to the family. For more information, call 425-739-8385.

Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) is a broad-based polytechnic college offering instruction in 36 areas of instruction toward a spectrum of more than 100 bachelor and associate level degrees and certificates designed to give students the latest cutting edge skills relevant to today’s workplace. Founded in 1949, LWIT offers hands-on, real-world training in manufacturing, transportation, energy, business, allied health, computer and information systems, food and hospitality, and health and fitness. For information and news about LWIT programs, please visit www.lwtech.edu/press_room .

Jen Boyer
Media Relations
Lake Washington Institute of Technology
11605 132nd Ave. NE
Kirkland, WA 98034-8506Phone: 425.739.8236
Fax: 425.739.8301
Jen.boyer@lwtech.edu lwtech.edu   facebook.com/LWITech · twitter.com/LWITech