Funeral Director - Apprenticeship

Applicants must submit evidence of having completed 16-Hour Apprentice Preparation Certification Course approved by the examining board. For details concerning requirements, see the Administrative Code.

Official transcripts showing the applicant has satisfactorily completed 9 months or more instruction in a prescribed course in mortuary science offered by an educational institution accredited by the American board of funeral service education can be submitted in lieu of the 16 Hour Apprentice Course.

Funeral Director Apprentices must have employment in place with a licensed funeral establishment in Wisconsin prior to being issued a credential.

The term of an apprenticeship for a funeral director shall begin on the date of registration and shall continue for a period of not more than 4 years from the time of first registration unless an extension, not to exceed one additional year, is granted by the examining board.

After 4 years have elapsed or, if an extension is granted, after the expiration of the extension, the apprenticeship may not be continued unless the apprentice again completes an approved certification class.

Before a new 4 year term is granted the applicant must also reapply via this method to have their license reissued.

Below are some general instructions for applying for a credential on LicensE. 

1. Create or log into your LicensE account. Please visit LicensE account Information page for detailed guidance on selecting your account type.

2. Select "Apply for a License."

3. Select your Category.

4. Select your License Type.

5. Select your Application Method, then "Next."

6. Review your Personal Information.

7. Enter the requested Information on each page of the application. Information may include Examination, Education, or License History, depending on your profession.

8. If applicable, request a Veterans Fee Waiver or Initial Credential Fee Reduction.

9. Submit the requested Documents you may already have. You do not need to have all documents ready to submit.

   Note: Forms are now hosted on AccessGov. Visit AccessGov Forms Directory to choose your form.

10. Respond to the Attestation questions.

11. Provide Payment Information. Fees may be found Credential Fees.

12. Submit your application.  

Profession specific application requirements can be found in the "Application Information" section.

After logging in, Select Apply for a License and choose:

•  Category: Business

• License Type: Funeral Director Apprentice

• Application Method: New Licensure

Be prepared to provide Form 3859

Please Note: You are not required to provide all documents before initial application submission. You do not need to upload documents to every available category.

Upload a completed Form 3859 to your application, or have your employer upload it via the LicensE Third-Party Portal using your PAR-Number.

This data is collected for the purpose of the Department of Workforce Development (DWD). A representative from DWD, Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards, will make an appointment with you to have the contract signed after the permit has been issued by DSPS.

You must submit evidence of having completed a 16 Hour Apprentice Course.

The following are approved providers of the 16-Hour Apprentice Course

• Gabriel Schauf

• Kelly Monroe

• Milwaukee Area Technical College

• Worsham College

Official transcripts showing you have satisfactorily completed 9 months or more instruction in a prescribed course in mortuary science offered by an educational institution accredited by the American board of funeral service education can be submitted in lieu of the 16 Hour Apprentice Course.

You must receive at least a 75% on the written examination at the conclusion of your 16-hour apprenticeship class.

After you upload all required documents, submit your application, and pay the required fee(s):

1. Preliminary Application Reference Number (PAR)

   1. Your application will be assigned a Preliminary Application Reference number or PAR number. This number allows you and trusted parties to look up the status of your application without logging in. You can also reference this number in any support tickets you submit in regard to your application.

      • A trusted 3^rd party can look up your credential status by visiting LicensE, clicking “Application Status Lookup” and entering the PAR number you have provided to them.

2. Review Timeline

   1. Your materials will be reviewed within approximately 10 days by a member of the credentialing team.

      • Note: Some licenses do take longer to process due to complexity. You can see the performance data on our LicensE Dashboard to see what date we are reviewing for certain application types under "Application Review Times by Profession."

3. Pending Applicant Input Status

   1. After this review, if anything is missing or the credentialing team has any questions on your application, your application will go back into a status called “Pending Applicant Input.”  You will receive an email letting you know your application was moved into this status. You should then log into LicensE and check your application “Due Diligence.”

4. To check your "Due Diligence" 

   1. Your Due Diligence is a checklist of items required for your credential.

   2. The Due Diligence section is how DSPS staff will communicate with you regarding your credential requirements.

   3. Log in to your LicensE account

   4. Click on "Check Application Status" 

   5. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under “Action” select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop.

   6. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select “View Due Diligences.”

   7. The Due Diligence column lets you know what the requirement is.

   8. The “STATUS” column will you know if the item is “Met”, “Not Met”, or “Not Applicable.”

      • Items listed as “Not Met” are items that are needed by the Department.  

   9. The “NOTES” column of your Due Diligence will provide further written details or instructions about what is still needed.

5. To upload documents

   1. Some applications require additional document uploads.

   2. Log into your LicensE account

   3. Click on "Check Application Status"

   4. Your credential application should be shown on this page. Under "Action" select the button that looks like an upside-down triangle. If you are on mobile, you will need to turn your phone into landscape view. Note: LicensE is best viewed on a desktop or laptop. 

   5. After clicking the upside-down triangle, select "Upload Document."

   6. The document must be an allowable document type. 

   7. After uploading the document, click "submit." If you do not, it will not be sent to a reviewer. 

6. If you have any questions, you can submit a support ticket on LicensE by logging in and clicking "request support" at the top of the page.

LicensE statuses that require action from applicant:

LicensE statuses that indicate the application is with Department staff:

Support Ticket
Submit a support ticket on LicensE and click "request support." Please provide as much detail as possible regarding your concern so we can work to answer your question with a one touch resolution. 

Call
608-266-2112

Email
dsps@wisconsin.gov

Office Hours
7:45am-4:30pm
Department of Safety and Professional Services
4822 Madison Yards Way
Madison, WI, 53705

Note: The in-person office does not process same day.