Commonwealth’s campus includes 2 large classrooms, 2 dedicated clinical laboratories, a computer lab, a secure testing center, the Dr. George Poston Memorial Library and Learning Resource Center, a student lounge, and faculty and staff offices.
Commonwealth also shares the educational complex at 415 Barren Springs Drive the National Museum of Funeral History.
The student computer lab is open and accessible to students during normal school business hours. The lab features individual computer workstations that can be utilized for academic and professional purposes and there are outlets for charging devices and space to use individual’s tablets and laptops. The lab is also networked for printing capability. Please see the Student Handbook and/or the school website for complete policy information on intellectual property protection and use of institutional technology resources.
The school complex is a smoke-free facility. Smoking, including vapes or e-cigarettes, is not permitted anywhere inside the building. Smoking is permitted only in designated areas. Students are asked to dispose of cigarettes in the receptacles provided for them and not on the school grounds.
Ample student parking is provided on the east side and in back of the school complex. The parking lot on the west side of the building is reserved for museum guests. Students are also prohibited from parking in the row of spaces between the guard shack and the school van’s portico, adjacent to the back entrance. These spaces are marked “STAFF” and reserved for faculty and staff only. Automobiles are to be parked only in designated parking spaces. Unauthorized cars parked in handicapped spaces or along curbs will be towed at the owner’s expense.
Student lockers are available for use in the student lounge. Please see the Student Handbook for complete information and policies on student lockers.
Commonwealth is a ground level facility with access for disabled persons. Commonwealth operates in compliance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and accepts students without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, marital status, veteran status, or disability.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as amended, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require the institution to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. However, reasonable accommodations do not include fundamental alterations to course requirements. Furthermore, accommodations cannot be made that would effectively place an undue administrative or financial burden on the Institute.
Commonwealth’s clinical facilities are located on the premises. The three-suite embalming laboratory is able to accommodate the preparation of approximately 400 human remains annually. The Institute’s clinical program provides that vital link between theory and practice and helps to integrate and apply knowledge gained in restorative art, pathology, anatomy, microbiology, and chemistry; as well as the theory of embalming itself.
Additionally, the Institute also has a restorative art laboratory. In this setting, students apply the theoretical knowledge gained in restorative art lecture courses to wax modeling and reconstruction of facial features as well as mortuary cosmetic application.
Another asset that Commonwealth Institute has, to which no other mortuary college in the world can attest, is the National Museum of Funeral History. Students learn funeral service through interaction with the Museum’s exhibits, which truly make the heritage of this great profession come alive.
The Museum teaches history, sociology, ethics, religions, lifestyles and a myriad of other lessons. Students at CIFS will experience sights and sounds of funeral history along with obtaining information that students can never receive anywhere else.
The National Museum of Funeral History is a jewel in the crown of Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service. Couple this rich educational resource with excellent instruction and a genuine love of funeral service, any student will be hard pressed to locate a better combination!
415 Barren Springs Drive
Houston, Texas 77090
Office Telephone: (281) 873-0262
Toll Free: (800) 628-1580
Fax: (281) 873-5232
Email: [email protected]
Campus Hours
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Lecture Classes
Mon-Thu 8:00 AM – 8:50 AM
Mon-Thu 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM
Mon-Thu 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM
Mon-Thu 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM
Mon-Thu 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM
Embalming Labs
Mon-Thu 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Fri – 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
The dates and times of laboratory sessions are scheduled at the beginning of each quarter.
2024-2025 CATALOG