Post by Freddie on Sept 6, 2019 14:56:31 GMT 1
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Home > Programs > Scouts BSA > Advancement and Awards > Merit Badges
Merit Badges
You can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers as you earn merit badges. There are more than 135 merit badges, and any Scout, or any qualified Venturer or Sea Scout may earn any of these at any time.
Pick a Subject. Talk to your unit leader about your interests. Read the requirements of the merit badges you think might interest you, and pick one to earn. Your leader will give you the name of a person from a list of counselors. These individuals have special knowledge in their merit badge subjects and are interested in helping you.
Scout Buddy System. You must have another person with you at each meeting with the merit badge counselor. This person can be your parent or legal guardian, or another registered adult.
Call the Merit Badge Counselor. Get a signed Application for Merit Badge, No. 34124 or No. 34130, from your unit leader. Get in touch with the merit badge counselor and explain that you want to earn the badge. The counselor may ask to meet you to explain what is expected and to start helping you meet the requirements. You should also discuss work you have already started or possibly completed.
At the first meeting, you and your merit badge counselor will review and may start working on the requirements. In some cases, you may share the work you have already started or completed.
Unless otherwise specified, work on a requirement can be started at any time. Ask your counselor to help you learn the things you need to know or do. You should read the merit badge pamphlet on the subject. Many troops, schools, and public libraries have them.
Show Your Stuff. When you are ready, call the counselor again to make an appointment. When you go, take along the things you have made to meet the requirements. If they are too big to move, take pictures or have an adult tell in writing what you have done. The counselor will test you on each requirement to make sure you know your stuff and have done or can do the things required.
Get the Badge. When the counselor is satisfied you have met each requirement, he or she will sign your application. Give the signed application to your unit leader so your merit badge emblem can be secured for you.
Merit badge requirements are revised as needed to reflect updated information and technology. Refer to the latest Scouts BSA Requirements book for merit badge requirement updates. The current Scouts BSA Requirements book is available from your local Scouting merchandise distributor. It may also be ordered online at ScoutShop.org .
Requirements. You are expected to meet the requirements as they are stated—no more and no less. You must do exactly what is stated in the requirements. If it says “show or demonstrate,” that is what you must do. Just telling about it isn’t enough. The same thing holds true for such words as “make,” “list,” “in the field,” and “collect,” “identify,” and “label.”
The requirements listed below are the current and official requirements of the Boy Scouts of America. Occasionally, the requirements will not match those in the printed Scout Handbook, the annual Scouts BSA Requirements book, or some merit badge pamphlets because of the timing of their printing schedules.
If a new edition of a merit badge pamphlet is introduced with updated requirements after the Scouts BSA Requirements book has been released, a Scout who is starting the badge may choose to follow either set of requirements until the end of the year. At the start of the new year, Scouts who are beginning must use only the new requirements.
If a Scout has already started working on a merit badge when a new edition of the pamphlet is introduced, they may continue to use the same pamphlet and fulfill the requirements therein to earn the badge. They need not start over again with the new pamphlet and revised requirements.
There is no time limit for starting and completing a merit badge, but all work must be completed by the time a Scout turns 18.
Requirements Updated 2019
Merit badge requirement updates from 2019 Scouts BSA Requirements (33216):
American Business (completely revised)
American Labor (1)
Archery (3b; for 5, option A: f1[d], f3; for 5, option B: f1[d], f3; deleted 4f)
Bird Study (1, 3, 3a; added 3d; new 6; renumbered existing 6, 7, 8; added 10, 11)
Communication (1d)
First Aid (1, 5, 8)
Fly-Fishing (3, 9, 10; added 11)
Forestry (2c)
Geocaching (7, 8c; deleted 5c, 5d)
Golf (1, 7b)
Law (11d)
Lifesaving (Second Class requirements 5c and 5d)
Motorboating (5, 5e, 5f, 5g; added 4h, 4i; deleted 6)
Personal Management (2a, 2b, 4b, 4c, 5, 6,
, 10a, 10b; added 2c, 2d, 4d, 4e)Railroading (added 8a[8])
Reptile and Amphibian Study (8a, 8b)
Rifle Shooting (1f; added 1f[1] and 1f[2; for 2, option C: b, h)
Rowing (2)
Scouting Heritage (2a)
Soil and Water Conservation (added 4e)
Woodwork (5, 6)
Merit Badge Requirements
Below is a list, in alphabetical order, of all of the current merit badge subjects. Click each subject to see the requirements for that merit badge.
The requirements posted here are the most current, accurate, and official. This will always be the best place to find the most up-to-date requirements.
American Business
Current | Previous
American Cultures
Current
American Heritage
Current
American Labor
Current | Previous
Animal Science
Current | Previous
Animation
Current | Previous
Archaeology
Current | Previous
Archery
Current | Previous
Architecture
Current
Art
Current
Astronomy
Current | Previous
Athletics
Current | Previous
Automotive Maintenance
Current | Previous
Aviation
Current | Previous
Backpacking
Current | Previous
Basketry
Current
Bird Study
Current | Previous
Bugling
Current
Camping
Current | Previous
Canoeing
Current | Previous
Chemistry
Current | Previous
Chess
Current
Citizenship in the Community
Current | Previous
Citizenship in the Nation
Current
Citizenship in the World
Current | Previous
Climbing
Current | Previous
Coin Collecting
Current | Previous
Collections
Current
Communication
Current | Previous
Composite Materials
Current
Cooking
Current | 2014
Crime Prevention
Current | Previous
Cycling
Current | Previous
Dentistry
Current | Previous
Digital Technology
Current
Disabilities Awareness
Current | Previous
Dog Care
Current | Previous
Drafting
Current
Electricity
Current
Electronics
Current | Previous
Emergency Preparedness
Current | Previous
Energy
Current | Previous
Engineering
Current
Entrepreneurship
Current
Environmental Science
Current | Previous
Exploration
Current
Family Life
Current | Previous
Farm Mechanics
Current
Fingerprinting
Current | Previous
Fire Safety
Current | Previous
First Aid
Current | Previous
Fish and Wildlife Management
Current | Previous
Fishing
Current | Previous
Fly-Fishing
Current | Previous
Forestry
Current | Previous
Game Design
Current | Previous
Gardening
Current
Genealogy
Current
Geocaching
Current | Previous
Geology
Current | Previous
Golf
Current | Previous
Graphic Arts
Current | Previous
Hiking
Current | Previous
Home Repairs
Current | Previous
Horsemanship
Current
Indian Lore
Current | Previous
Insect Study
Current | Previous
Inventing
Current | Previous
Journalism
Current | Previous
Kayaking
Current
Landscape Architecture
Current | Previous
Law
Current | Previous
Leatherwork
Current | Previous
Lifesaving
Current | Previous
Mammal Study
Current
Medicine
Current | Previous
Metalwork
Current | Previous
Mining in Society
Current
Model Design and Building
Current
Motorboating
Current | Previous
Moviemaking
Current
Music
Current | Previous
Nature
Current | Previous
Nuclear Science
Current | Previous
Oceanography
Current
Orienteering
Current
Painting
Current | Previous
Personal Fitness
Current | Previous
Personal Management
Current | Previous
Pets
Current
Photography
Current | Previous
Pioneering
Current | Previous
Plant Science
Current | Previous
Plumbing
Current | Previous
Pottery
Current
Programming
Current | Previous
Public Health
Current | Previous
Public Speaking
Current
Pulp and Paper
Current | Previous
Radio
Current | Previous
Railroading
Current | Previous
Reading
Current
Reptile and Amphibian Study
Current | Previous
Rifle Shooting
Current | Previous
Robotics
Current
Rowing
Current | Previous
Safety
Current | Previous
Salesmanship
Current | Previous
Scholarship
Current | Previous
Scouting Heritage
Current | Previous
Scuba Diving
Current
Sculpture
Current | Previous
Search and Rescue
Current
Shotgun Shooting
Current
Signs, Signals, and Codes
Current | Previous
Skating
Current | Previous
Small-Boat Sailing
Current | Previous
Snow Sports
Current | Previous
Soil and Water Conservation
Current | Previous
Space Exploration
Current | Previous
Sports
Current | Previous
Stamp Collecting
Current
Surveying
Current
Sustainability
Current
Swimming
Current
Textile
Current
Theater
Current | Previous
Traffic Safety
Current | Previous
Truck Transportation
Current
Veterinary Medicine
Current
Water Sports
Current
Weather
Current | Previous
Welding
Current
Whitewater
Current | Previous
Wilderness Survival
Current | Previous
Wood Carving
Current | Previous
Woodwork
Current | Previous
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