The development of mortuary science education has followed the general pattern common to all professional fields. As funeral service expanded, research was directed to developing better techniques and practices which resulted in a rapid increase in the knowledge of the science. Today, colleges of mortuary science are highly developed institutions of learning with curricula encompassing the physical and social sciences, liberal arts and the specialized subjects indigenous to the funeral service profession. Funeral service education has advanced tremendously from the days of the itinerant embalmer, who offered a short course in embalming technique as he moved from one community to another.
Worsham College of Mortuary Science was founded by Professor Albert Worsham on March 17, 1911, as the Worsham College of Embalming. Professor Worsham was born in 1868 near Connorsville, Indiana, and migrated to Chicago in 1902, where he studied embalming at the Barnes School of Anatomy. Upon graduation, Professor Worsham taught at the Barnes School for 9 years before founding one of the oldest colleges of mortuary science in existence today.
From its inception, Professor Worsham placed great emphasis upon practical experience supported by scientific training from well qualified professional men. As a result, Worsham College acquired and continues to maintain its status as one of the outstanding educational institutions in the country for the study of mortuary science.
