Continuing Education Requirements
Continuing Education Requirements for Licensing Period 2025 - 2026
1) Acceptable continuing education subjects:
(A) Business administration.
(B) Religion.
(C) Natural sciences.
(D) Management services-systems, cost, budget, merger and acquisition, data processing, etc.
(E) Preneed services.
(F) Restorative art/embalming.
(G) Funeral service counseling.
(H) Funeral service merchandising.
(I) Funeral customs.
(J) Communicable diseases including transmission, sterilization techniques, and risk education methods in the practice of professional services.
2) Of the minimum ten hours of instruction each funeral director and embalmer must complete within each two year period, at least four hours must be in one or more of the following areas:
(A) Preneed burial services or merchandise under IC 30-2-13.
(B) The practice of funeral service under IC 25-15-2-22.
(C) The cremation act under IC 23-14-31.
(D) The cemetery act under IC 23-14.
3) There is a limit of five of the required ten hours that may be obtained from distance learning methods.
4) Licensees may not count IOSHA and OSHA required courses towards the funeral director or embalmer continuing education renewal requirement.
Continuing Education Providers are reviewed and approved by the IPLA Board and can be located in the Continuing Education Provider Search.
CLICK HERE for approved providers
Section 832 IAC 4-1-1 - Continuing education requirements
Authority: IC 25-1-4; IC 25-15-9-8
Affected: IC 23-14-31; IC 25-15-2-22; IC 25-15-6-3; IC 30-2-13
Sec. 1.
(a) Funeral directors and embalmers must complete a minimum of ten (10) hours of instruction in each two (2) year period (as defined by subsection (b)) in courses that are given by board approved sponsors. Courses must meet the following criteria:
(1) Measurements and reports must be in full hours excluding preparation time with a fifty (50) minute instruction period being equivalent to one (1) hour.
(2) The number of hours for a specific course will be determined and announced by the sponsor.
(3) A funeral director who attends the same approved continuing education course more than once in the same two (2) year period is entitled to continuing education credit for that course only once.
(4) A funeral director shall not be entitled to any continuing education credit for a course unless he or she attends the entire course.
(b) The two (2) year period within which funeral directors and embalmers must obtain a minimum of ten (10) hours of continuing education under subsection (a) extends from January 1 of each odd-numbered year to December 31 of each even-numbered year.
(c) Subject to the provisions of subsection (a)(3), a funeral director or embalmer who attends an approved continuing education course as an instructor is entitled to continuing education credit for that course.
(d) Of the minimum of ten (10) hours of instruction each funeral director and embalmer must complete within each two (2) year period, at least four (4) hours must be in one (1) or more of the following areas:
(1) Preneed burial services or merchandise under IC 30-2-13.
(2) The practice of funeral service under IC 25-15-2-22.
(3) The cremation act under IC 23-14-31.
(4) The cemetery act under IC 23-14.
(e) A funeral director or embalmer can complete not more than five (5) hours of continuing education requirements for the two (2) year period through distance learning methods.
832 IAC 4-1-1
Click here to locate or verify approved continuing education providers on the IPLA website. You may view all of the continuing education providers by leaving the name field blank in your search.
