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Thanatology is the science and study of death and dying from multiple perspectives – medical, physical, psychological, spiritual, ethical, and more.

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Many professionals in various fields would incorporate thanatology into their work with others. Those in the health field, would study thanatology to better understand the physical process of death, and what happens to the body during and immediately after death. Those working in social sciences may study thanatology to learn about the rites, rituals, and ceremonies human being employ to honour and remember loves ones from a cultural perspective. Those working in hospitals, social services, and churches could study thanatology. 

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Studying thanatology teaches how to provide grief or compassionate counselling as it is the scientific study of how to cope with tragedies, death, and dying. Thanatology promotes awareness and understanding the affects of death.

 

It focuses on grief and bereavement issues, communication strategies, and religious philosophies of dying and death to both the dying and the bereaved. Courses include palliative care, ethical, legal and spiritual concerns, comfort measures, and mourning, grief, and bereavement.

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In general, anyone who studies thanatology desires to learn or better understand the reality of human mortality from a physical, psychological or sociological point of view, and how it can impact his or her chosen profession. Because of its broad scope/spectrum of study, there is no single or standardized educational course in thanatology