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Spring 2026 enrollment deadline March 18th 2026

Josh Austin

Faculty Member

Josh is a native of Dodge City, Kansas. He attended college at Kansas State University, where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry. While attending Kansas State, Josh was involved in multiple honor societies and conducted chemistry research which was published in the journal of the American Chemical Society.

After graduating from Kansas State, Josh worked as a chemist in two laboratories. The first being an agronomy lab, analyzing various samples that provide farmers and ranchers valuable information to maximize their yield. Second was a forensic science laboratory, where he analyzed all controlled substances confiscated by law enforcement. While he enjoyed laboratory work, he felt it wasn’t his true calling. He felt drawn to serving people, and made the decision to begin a career in funeral service.

Josh began working in a funeral home in 2019. Shortly thereafter, he began pursuing a Mortuary Science degree through the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service online program. He graduated the following year as valedictorian of his class, and was awarded the Bill Pierce award. Upon graduation, he became a licensed funeral director, embalmer, and crematory operator in Kansas, where he still works full-time serving grieving families. Josh has made it a priority to become as involved in the profession as possible. He has been selected to attend events through the National Funeral Directors Association, such as Meet the Mentors, and the National Emerging Leaders Program. He has also been involved at the state level, serving on several committees through the Kansas Funeral Directors Association. Josh gained his Certified Funeral Service Practioner designation from the APFSP in 2025. He is passionate about mentoring new funeral professionals, and began teaching for Dallas Institute in 2023.