1. Every person desiring to enter the profession of funeral directing in this state shall make application with the state board of embalmers and funeral directors and pay the current application and examination fees. Except as otherwise provided in section 41.950, applicants not entitled to a license pursuant to section 333.051 or 324.009 shall serve an apprenticeship for at least twelve consecutive months in a funeral establishment licensed for the care and preparation for burial and transportation of the human dead in this state or in another state which has established standards for admission to practice funeral directing equal to, or more stringent than, the requirements for admission to practice funeral directing in this state. The applicant shall devote at least fifteen hours per week to his or her duties as an apprentice under the supervision of a Missouri licensed funeral director. Such applicant shall submit proof to the board, on forms provided by the board, that the applicant has arranged and conducted ten funeral services during the applicant’s apprenticeship under the supervision of a Missouri licensed funeral director. Upon completion of the apprenticeship, the applicant shall appear before the board to be tested on the applicant’s legal and practical knowledge of funeral directing, funeral home licensing, preneed funeral contracts and the care, custody, shelter, disposition and transportation of dead human bodies. Upon acceptance of the application and fees by the board, an applicant shall have twenty-four months to successfully complete the requirements for licensure found in this section or the application for licensure shall be cancelled.

2. If a person applies for a limited license to work only in a funeral establishment which is licensed only for cremation, including transportation of dead human bodies to and from the funeral establishment, he or she shall make application, pay the current application and examination fee and successfully complete the Missouri law examination. He or she shall be exempt from the twelve-month apprenticeship required by subsection 1 of this section and the practical examination before the board. If a person has a limited license issued pursuant to this subsection, he or she may obtain a full funeral director’s license if he or she fulfills the apprenticeship and successfully completes the funeral director practical examination.

3. If an individual is a Missouri licensed embalmer or has completed a program accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education, any successor organization, or other accrediting entity as approved by the board or has successfully completed a course of study in funeral directing offered by an institution accredited by a recognized national, regional or state accrediting body and approved by the state board of embalmers and funeral directors, and desires to enter the profession of funeral directing in this state, the individual shall comply with all the requirements for licensure as a funeral director pursuant to subsection 1 of section 333.041 and subsection 1 of this section; however, the individual is exempt from the twelve-month apprenticeship required by subsection 1 of this section.