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The advanced certificate in thanatology provides you with training if you have completed a baccalaureate degree and are working with, or interested in working with, the dying and the bereaved. You may be interested in the certificate if you have completed a master’s degree and are seeking further training. You can meet professional continuing education requirements to maintain your existing license or certification. The program is designed to meet the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) certification requirements.
If you complete an advanced certificate in thanatology, you can work as a funeral director or employee, a hospice or hospital worker, a long-term care and nursing home professional, a spiritual and ministry professional, or a grief counselor and therapist.
The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2024–25 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.
The advanced certificate in thanatology presents foundational and advanced knowledge in the areas of death, dying, and bereavement. The program is designed to provide training for individuals who have completed a baccalaureate degree and are working with, or interested in working with, the dying and the bereaved or for individuals who have completed a master’s degree and are seeking further training. In addition, the program will allow practitioners to meet professional continuing education requirements to maintain existing licenses or certifications. The program is designed to conform to the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) certification requirements for those persons interested in becoming certified or maintaining their certification in Thanatology: Death, Dying, and Bereavement. The advanced certificate can be completed fully online, though not all thanatology courses in the program are offered online.
Brooklyn College students matriculated in related graduate degree programs may be admitted to the advanced certificate and earn both their graduate degree and the certificate, applying 12 credits to both programs of study.
Applicants must present a baccalaureate degree with at least a 3.00 GPA in the major and a minimum 2.85 overall GPA in 18 credits of acceptable health- or thanatology-related courses; courses in health and nutrition sciences, philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, anthropology, chaplaincy, and counseling may meet this 18-credit requirement. Students matriculated in related graduate programs at Brooklyn College may be admitted and earn this advanced certificate in addition to the graduate degree they are pursuing. Professional development courses offered by recognized associations may also be used to meet the requirement for health- or thanatology-related coursework. Applicants must have experience in a related field.
Fifteen credits are required for the advanced certificate. Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00. No more than two courses with a grade below B may be offered toward the completion of the certification requirements.
Students must complete Health and Nutrition Sciences 7180X, 7186X, 7187X. The remaining six credits are elective courses chosen in consultation with the program director from the following: Health and Nutrition Sciences 7175X, 7181X, 7182X, 7183X, 7184X, 7185X, 7188X, 7901X. Other elective graduate courses may be substituted with the approval of the program director.
All courses within the advanced certificate program are currently offered as part of the Brooklyn College Master of Arts in community health as well. Credits earned toward the certificate are applied to the master’s degree for those certificate students who successfully apply to the master’s program. In turn, master’s students in related degree programs at Brooklyn College can obtain the advanced certificate in thanatology.
Students will:
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Brooklyn College is an integral part of the cultural and artistic energy of New York City. Our faculty members in Health and Nutrition Sciences offer incomparable expertise and tremendous talent, and each brings a unique perspective to their teaching and mentoring in and out of the classroom.
Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the thanatology advanced certificate program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:
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