How to Become a Mortician in Arkansas: Licenses, Training, and Exams

To become a mortician in Arkansas, you need two separate licenses from the State Board of Embalmers, Funeral Directors, Cemeteries, and Burial Services: an embalmer license and a funeral director license. Earning both means graduating from an accredited mortuary science program, completing a supervised apprenticeship in an Arkansas funeral establishment, passing the required state and national exams, and clearing a criminal background check. Plan on three to four years from the day you enroll in school to the day you hold both licenses.

Two Licenses, One Career

Arkansas regulates embalming and funeral directing as distinct professions. The embalmer license covers body preparation and restorative work. The funeral director license covers arranging services, working with families, and running the business side of a funeral home. Most people who call themselves morticians hold both, because that combination lets them handle every part of the work.

The two tracks share eligibility rules but diverge on education, apprenticeship length, and testing. Embalmers must complete mortuary school and pass a two-part national exam. Funeral directors serve a longer apprenticeship and sit for a state law exam only.¹ If you’re planning both, map the differences early so your school enrollment, apprenticeship registration, and exam dates line up.

Who Can Apply

You must be at least 18 and hold a high school diploma or equivalent.² Every applicant also has to pass a state criminal records check through the Arkansas State Police and a nationwide FBI check, with fingerprinting. The board will not issue any license until both checks come back clear.³ You pay any processing fees the State Police charges, and you sign a release of information on both the background check and the licensure application. Failing to disclose a prior conviction can disqualify you even when the underlying offense would not have.

Step 1: Mortuary Science Education

Embalmer applicants must graduate from a school of mortuary science accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) or approved by the state board.² ABFSE-accredited programs come as associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and diploma or certificate programs that require at least 60 credits.⁴ Coursework spans anatomy, pathology, microbiology, embalming techniques, restorative art, funeral service law, grief counseling, and business management.

Funeral directors are not required by statute to earn a mortuary science degree. Their training comes mostly through the longer apprenticeship, which includes classroom hours. In practice, most candidates planning to work in Arkansas enroll in a mortuary science program anyway, since the embalmer license — which almost everyone eventually wants — demands it.

Several ABFSE-accredited programs offer distance education, meaning at least half of the coursework can be completed online. Those programs are flagged in the ABFSE directory.⁴ Lab work and embalming practice still require in-person attendance. Arkansas has no in-state ABFSE-accredited program with a distance designation, so many Arkansas candidates enroll out of state and come home for the apprenticeship.

Step 2: Apprenticeship

Both tracks require a supervised apprenticeship in an Arkansas-licensed funeral establishment. You must register the apprenticeship with the board before it starts, and the registration fee is $50 per track.⁵

Embalmer Apprenticeship

At least 12 months under the direct supervision of an Arkansas-licensed embalmer. During that year, you must assist in preparing a minimum of 50 bodies and submit a signed case report for each one to the state board. Both you and your supervisor sign every report.² Missing or incomplete reports can stall your licensing.

Funeral Director Apprenticeship

At least 18 months under the direct supervision of an Arkansas-licensed funeral director. You must actively assist in arranging a minimum of 50 funeral services and complete up to 20 hours of classroom instruction on practices, ethics, and Arkansas law.¹

If you’re pursuing both licenses, you fulfill both apprenticeship tracks. Much of the work overlaps in a full-service funeral home, but your calendar is set by the longer of the two: 18 months minimum.

Step 3: Exams

Everyone takes the Arkansas Laws, Rules, and Regulations Exam (ARLRR), administered by the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards.⁶ Embalmer candidates take more.

Embalmer Exams

You must pass both sections of the National Board Examination (NBE) — Arts and Sciences — plus the ARLRR, with a minimum scaled score of 75 on each.⁷ Each NBE section runs 170 questions, with 20 unscored pretest items mixed in that you won’t be able to identify.⁸ Graduates of ABFSE-accredited programs are eligible to sit for it.⁴

If you need testing accommodations for a disability, request them at the time you apply for the NBE. The Conference requires a completed Accommodations Request Form and a Health Practitioner Statement, and reviews each request individually. Accommodations that would fundamentally change the nature of the exam will not be granted.⁹

Funeral Director Exam

Funeral director applicants take a written exam on the Arkansas Laws, Rules, and Regulations Manual, plus any additional subjects the board considers necessary.⁷ The NBE is not required for the funeral director license.

Step 4: Application and Fees

You submit your license application through the Arkansas Insurance Department, which houses the board administratively. Separate application packets exist for each license.¹⁰ Each packet requires proof of education, apprenticeship records, and exam scores.

The examination fee is $100 per license, on top of the $50 apprentice registration you already paid.⁵ Budget separately for the State Police background check fee and for any NBE fees billed directly by The Conference.

If You’re Already Licensed in Another State

Arkansas offers reciprocity for embalmers and funeral directors already licensed elsewhere. You must have held an equivalent license in good standing for at least one year, with no history of revocation for bad faith or legal violations, and you cannot currently hold a suspended or probationary occupational license in any state. You must demonstrate proficiency in the profession and pay the application fee.

Your home-state board sends Arkansas a certified statement describing the basis on which your original license was issued. You still have to pass the Arkansas Laws, Rules, and Regulations Exam. If your home state’s minimum standards fall short of Arkansas’s for the license you’re seeking, expect additional testing.¹¹

Keeping Your License

Arkansas licenses expire December 31 each year. Annual renewal is $30 per license, and the board also offers a biennial renewal at $60.⁵ Hold both licenses and you pay for each one separately.

Every actively practicing embalmer, funeral director, or dually licensed professional must complete at least six hours of approved continuing education annually, or 12 hours on a biennial renewal. Falling behind can trigger discipline or suspension, and if your license lapses for 13 months or more, reinstatement costs an additional $100.¹²

Safety Rules You’ll Work Under

Licensing is one layer; federal workplace rules are another. Two OSHA standards govern funeral home work and will show up on your first day. The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires your employer to maintain a written Exposure Control Plan, offer hepatitis B vaccination, and train you on exposure procedures, with annual plan updates.¹³ The Formaldehyde Standard caps your exposure to embalming fluid vapors, requires air monitoring when levels could reach the action threshold, and obligates the employer to notify you of results and corrective steps.¹⁴ Expect ventilation systems, personal protective equipment, and regular monitoring in any well-run embalming room.

1
Justia. Arkansas Code 17-29-302 – Funeral Directors – Qualifications – Definition
2
FindLaw. Arkansas Code 17-29-301 – Embalmers – Qualifications
3
Code of Arkansas Rules. 17 CAR 123-301 – Criminal Background Check
4
American Board of Funeral Service Education. Directory of Accredited Programs
5
Code of Arkansas Rules. 17 CAR 30 – Fees
6
Arkansas Insurance Department. Examination Information
7
Code of Arkansas Rules. 17 CAR 30-402 – Examinations and Licensure
8
The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. Guide to the NBE
9
The International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. ADA Testing Accommodations Handbook
10
Arkansas Insurance Department. Licensing
11
Code of Arkansas Rules. 17 CAR 30-403 – Reciprocal Licensure
12
Code of Arkansas Rules. 17 CAR 30-404 – License Renewals and Reinstatements
13
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.1030 – Bloodborne Pathogens
14
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.1048 – Formaldehyde