Diploma in Thanatology Techniques (DEC) is a diploma in Applied Professions & Services programme taught at Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy in Québec, Canada. The programme runs for 3 years, delivered on campus. Tuition for international students is CAD 9,576 per semester (CAD 2,731 per semester for local students).
Thanatology Techniques is a six-session technical DEC at Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy, one of the few programs of its kind offered east of Montreal, preparing students to work in funeral services. The curriculum covers human anatomy and the chemistry underlying embalming, funeral business management and service planning, ritual direction, and family accompaniment during bereavement, alongside professional ethics and cultural and religious sensitivity in death care. First-year laboratory instruction takes place at partner facility Lépine Cloutier, students train in the school's own funeral home for realistic practice, and the program includes internships in funeral homes as well as workplace-based learning days. Admission requires secondary-level science coursework. The program suits students who are interested in science and human behaviour, have an entrepreneurial orientation, and bring strong empathy, listening skills and ethical sensitivity to work supporting grieving families.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Admission to the Techniques de thanatologie DEC at Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy requires a Quebec Diploma of Secondary Studies (DES) or its recognized equivalent, plus Secondary 4 Sciences STE (Science et technologie) or SE (Science et environnement) as the stated course prerequisite. The programme's admission-conditions page does not publish a minimum grade or average for this prerequisite, and it does not set out an English or French language-proficiency test, an interview, a criminal-record check, or a medical-examination requirement; French is the language of instruction throughout. Places are limited (places limitees), and the programme is open to international candidates. Admission is offered for the fall (September) session only, according to the programme's own information page.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply directly to Campus Notre-Dame-de-Foy rather than through a regional admission service: for September 2027 entry, admission rounds close 1 March, 1 May, 1 June and 1 August 2027, after which late requests are still accepted case-by-case, subject to space, until the end of the first week of classes; a few contingented programmes such as Police Technology can close earlier once seats fill. International applicants are admitted for the Fall intake only, with applications due by 15 February 2027 for most countries and by 30 April 2027 for French nationals; no winter intake is offered internationally, and CNDF publishes no distinct domestic winter-round dates beyond noting winter admission exists. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
