Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service - The Best Education and the Finest Facilities

In Southeastern Texas during the 1930s, the need for an institute dedicated to the field of mortuary science was paramount. No school existed that could train men and women in the expertise of embalming or in the techniques of funeral direction. Therefore, in 1936, Mr. R. Victor Landing established the Landing College of Mortuary Science in Houston, Texas.

Soon after its founding, the institute came to be known as one of the best school for Mortuary Science in the nation. Mr. Landing was able to hire visionary experts in the field from all over the country in order to provide the best education possible for his students. In 1955, following an unsuccessful effort to move the institution to Commonwealth Street in Houston, the school still decided to change its name to Commonwealth College of Mortuary Science.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Landing, due to his ailing health, sold his investment in the College to a man named Tex Garton. Mr. Garton, a widely-respected funeral director in Houston, presided over the College until 1966 when it was purchased by the Pierce Organization. Led by Mr. Pierce, the Pierce Organization continued to move the College forward over the following decades, building a new campus on Barren Springs Drive in North Houston and installing a state-of-the-art embalming facility, a restorative art laboratory, a casket display room, and a learning resource center.

During the 1980s, following a study by some of the nation’s leading funeral service executives, another mortuary school, independent of the Commonwealth College of Science, was opened in Houston. Founded in 1988 as the Institute of Funeral Service, the school assimilated the Commonwealth College of Science two years later, changing its name to the Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service. The combination of these two schools succeeded in assembling one of the finest groups of faculty, administrators, and facilities in the world for students interested in the field of mortuary science.

At present, the curriculum of the school is divided into two areas of study. First, specialized courses are offered that concentrate on the art and science of embalming and funeral directing. Second, the institute also offers a wide range of general education courses in order to provide each student with a well-rounded learning experience. In addition, the College also offers degrees over the Internet through its online campus, making it easier than ever for students to receive their degree in Mortuary Science.

For more information about Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service, please visit us on campus or on the Web at (www.commonwealthinst.org). We would be happy to welcome you into our community of learners!