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Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Carbondale, IL · Public · Bachelor's Degree
45 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
47
Optimistic
45
Base Case
43
Pessimistic
Earnings $33,688/yr (-31% vs median)
AI Risk Low (17% exposed)
Job Market Small (7,000 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Funeral Service and Mortuary Science graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $664K $452K $311K
Earnings Multiple 12.5x 8.5x 5.9x
Viable Career Paths 4 of 4 4 of 4 4 of 4
DegreeWorth Score 47 45 43

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition
$52,976
Median Debt at Graduation
$28,000
10.0 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$57,664
71% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Funeral Service and Mortuary Science graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 7,000 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Funeral home managers $76,830 2,600 +4.1% 43%
Embalmers $56,280 600 +1.3% 4%
Morticians, undertakers, and funeral arrangers $49,800 3,200 +3.1% 16%
Crematory operators $42,880 600 +3.3% 4%

Compare & Explore

Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at Other Schools

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities ($60,367) Mid-America College of Funeral Service ($56,427) Wayne State University ($52,829) University of Central Oklahoma ($45,804) Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science ($44,110)

Other Majors at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Fire Protection ($104,017) Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians ($73,283) Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians ($72,495) Computer Science ($70,053) Mechanical Engineering ($69,454) Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions ($69,021) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($68,670) Civil Engineering ($65,269)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale?
This program scores 45/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 47 (optimistic) to 43 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Funeral Service and Mortuary Science career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Funeral Service and Mortuary Science graduates retain 4 of 4 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $311,484 (pessimistic) to $663,670 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Funeral Service and Mortuary Science graduates?
The career paths mapped to Funeral Service and Mortuary Science have roughly 7,000 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a small job market.
Is Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 8.5x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 5.9x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.