If you’re serious about developing your career in bereavement services, the ICCM Diploma in Cemetery and Crematorium Management is your next step. This qualification is more than a milestone; it’s a mark of professional excellence.
Whether you’re working towards a senior management role or simply want to expand your expertise, the Diploma gives you the confidence, credibility, and competence to lead.
You’ll gain an in-depth understanding of cemetery and crematorium law, management, and operations, all supported by specialist tutors from Stratford Business School and qualified ICCM trainers with real-world experience. From online study to immersive seminars, this flexible qualification fits around your life while still delivering the highest standards of education. When you complete your Diploma, your achievement is formally recognised and celebrated with an official presentation from the ICCM President at the Annual Learning Conference, including a free ticket to attend.
This is not just training; it’s transformation.
The ICCM Certificate in Cemetery, Crematorium, or Natural Burial Ground Management should be completed within two years, and studies for the full Diploma should be completed within five years.
Delivery is both in person and live online, including the Education Seminar.
This course is suitable for students registered for the ICCM’s examinations, studying under the Crematorium Technicians Training Scheme or Cemetery Operatives Training Scheme, or non-Diploma holders gainfully employed in a burial, cremation, or similar undertaking.
Outline:
Developed by the ICCM and Stratford Business School, the Diploma in Cemetery and Crematorium Management is the only service-specific educational qualification available to those working in cemeteries and crematoriums in the UK.
Consisting of compulsory and optional units, members can study for the full Diploma, Certificate stages, or individual units.
Each unit is designed to educate students about the relevant subject and equip them with knowledge to apply in their workplace, ensuring high-quality services to bereaved people.
Gaining the ICCM Diploma demonstrates an individual’s commitment to their profession and helps them develop in their career. Many senior roles within bereavement services require possession of, or study towards, the ICCM Diploma.
The ICCM Diploma consists of seven units.
Compulsory core units are Cemetery Management, Crematorium Management, Cemetery and Crematorium Law, and Managing Operations and Teams.
Additional units include Natural Burial Ground Management, Marketing Essentials, and Understanding and Leading Change.
Completing all seven units results in the full ICCM Diploma.
There is also the option to study a combination of units to achieve one of three ICCM Certificates.
The Certificate in Crematorium Management includes Crematorium Management, Cemetery & Crematorium Law, and Managing Operations & Teams.
The Certificate in Cemetery Management includes Cemetery Management, Cemetery & Crematorium Law, and Managing Operations & Teams.
The Certificate in Natural Burial Ground Management includes Natural Burial Ground Management, Cemetery & Crematorium Law, and Managing Operations & Teams.
Honours are given to anyone achieving distinctions across all subjects.
Achieve all distinctions within three years to earn the ultimate honour of the Eickhoff Medal. The Eickhoff Medal recognises outstanding achievement and continues the legacy of George Eickhoff, ICCM President in 1921, whose theme was “Power of Knowledge.”
Study and conversion days provide intensive study sessions supported by Stratford Business School tutors, followed by assessments.
Bespoke Diploma study days can also be arranged at your workplace.
The Education Seminar is a highly recommended three-day residential event held in February. It provides both formal and informal learning, opportunities to connect with peers, and tutor support to complete assignments without distractions. ICCM trainers attend in person, with Stratford tutors available online throughout the seminar. This is an ideal chance to discuss your work in detail and focus on completing assignments.
The Diploma offers flexible self-paced learning, with up to five years to complete all units, and comprehensive support throughout.
Enrolment requires a one-off fee of £180 + VAT, and each unit costs £650 + VAT.
"I came into Bereavement Services during COVID therefore working towards the ICCM diploma has been incredibly valuable to me as someone with no experience in the Bereavement profession. It has provided a solid foundation of knowledge and essential understanding of the sensitive nature of Bereavement Services, helping me to build confidence and capability. The education seminars have been especially useful—they offered focused time to get my head down and make real progress on assignments, sometimes completing a whole module while also providing great opportunities to network with like-minded professionals and learn from their experiences."
Emma Scantlebury
Assistant Bereavement Services Manager/Operations Manager
"Studying for the ICCM Diploma is full of positive surprises, whether pre-existing concepts about different procedures getting confirmed, or having to actively find new information and realising I was not the only one thinking about how to deal with all the different problems. Throughout your studies you will gain an immense amount of useful information, going into the smallest of details. Tutors will provide useful hints to your questions instead of giving you the answer, which leads you to find more information than you have originally asked for. I have found this to be very useful as I now have more of an understanding of the bigger picture if you will, rather than just getting an answer for the specific question. The study packs explain the essentials and help to interpret the official documents found separately. The course gave me a lot of information that I can use to help or advise my colleagues and the general public with their enquiries."
Janos Telenko
"I have thoroughly enjoyed studying for my diploma, the loose deadlines mean that the pressure is off and I can concentrate on my role as a Cemetery and Crematorium manager but also study when it suits. The course has improved my knowledge greatly and I am completely confident in helping others with the knowledge I have gained. Gaining these qualifications and making connections will put me in good stead within my current role and also open up new possibilities in the future within the bereavement industry. I have met some truly wonderful individuals throughout my time enrolled on the diploma and I look forward to our next get together."
Rachel Harrison (AICCM)
Aberystwyth Cemetery & Crematorium
