The Boy Scout of America's (BSA) Merit Badge Program is an integral part of advancement for Boy Scouts. Its purpose is multi-fold: to provide exposure to various careers while having fun; learning basic survival-type skills or historic boy scout traditions; and learning key skills and a sense of community as part of the Eagle merit badge program. With over 130 merit badges ranging from Art and Archery, to Citizenship in the World, Environmental Science, Robotics, Shot Gun, and Wood Working, there is a badge to explore all interests.
Merit Badges and Advancement
For the higher ranks within Boy Scouts, attainment of merit badges is required for advancement to the next rank. With each successive rank more badges are required, including the Eagle merit badges, for a total of 23. Thirteen of them are designated Eagle merit badges (Eagle badges). The program requires an increasing number of badges from both the Eagle-required list as well as general ones, to encourage both exploration as well as teach critical skills.
Because the emphasis is on basic scouting skills for the first four ranks in Boy Scouts, (Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class), no merit badges are required at these levels for rank advancement. Scouts are welcome to complete them, but they are not required by the rank.
Starting with the first of the leadership ranks, Star, the program requires completion of 6 merit badges, 4 Eagle badges and 2 general, in order to advance. For the Life rank, 11 total merit badges are required, including 7 Eagle-required and 4 general ones. For Eagle Scout, a total of 23 merit badges are required – 13 Eagle badges and 10 general ones.
Eagle Scout Merit Badges
While these badges can be done for fun, the two main purposes of these badges are to teach critical skills and to expose Eagle Candidates to the world outside of themselves. Critical skills include first aid, emergency preparedness, cooking, communication and personal management. Teaching the scout about the outside world include the “Citizenship” badges: Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, and Citizenship in the World. Environmental Science and Sustainability teach the scout about our impact on our world.
The Eagle merit badges make the scouts think about and care for their communities both on a local and global level, which is one of the main tenets of the Scouting program.
The Eagle Badges:
First Aid
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Communication
Personal Fitness
Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving*
Environmental Science OR Sustainability*
Personal Management
Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling*
Camping
Cooking
Family Life
Other Merit Badges – Fun - with a Purpose
With names like Space Exploration, Game Design, Kayaking, Hiking, Small Boat Sailing, Geology, Aviation, Digital Technology, Archery and Wilderness Survival there are over 130 merit badges to explore and to stretch your mind and body with. Learn a new sport or activity. Learn a new skill. And in the case of many of the badges (think Aviation, Engineering, Geology, Plumbing, Welding, along with many others) learn about a career in the process. One of the requirements of these badges has a scout looking up career information on 3 positions related to that badge. Many scouts have reported they have chosen career fields based off of interests developed while completing a particular merit badge. So have fun, explore, and try on a new career through the Merit Badge program.
History of the Merit Badge Program
The merit badge program was started in 1911 with the issuance of 57 merit badges, over 20 of which are still in existence today. Many of these are based on the tenets of the outdoors and camp crafting which is the basis of the Boy Scouts. These include Pioneering, Woodcarving, Wood Work, Indian Lore, and Archery.
Many of the early badges have been discontinued, while others have been modified, renamed and updated for modern times. Amazingly, more than 30 merit badges issued in 1911 still exist today and are still very popular with the scouts.
New badges are issued yearly to reflect both changes in technology and interests, but often to reflect an industry’s needs. Such is the case with the recently issued Welding merit badge. Faced with declining interest in the trade, the American Welding Society (AWS) partnered with the BSA to create the Welding merit badge to encourage scouts to consider welding as an occupation. Since its inception in 2012, this badge is one of the most popular badges in the program with over 11,000 scouts earning the badge in 2013. The AWS and the BSA are pleased with the success of the badge, in hopes of filling the projected 140,000 welding job openings by 2019.
Merit Badges and Advancement
For the higher ranks within Boy Scouts, attainment of merit badges is required for advancement to the next rank. With each successive rank more badges are required, including the Eagle merit badges, for a total of 23. Thirteen of them are designated Eagle merit badges (Eagle badges). The program requires an increasing number of badges from both the Eagle-required list as well as general ones, to encourage both exploration as well as teach critical skills.
Because the emphasis is on basic scouting skills for the first four ranks in Boy Scouts, (Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class), no merit badges are required at these levels for rank advancement. Scouts are welcome to complete them, but they are not required by the rank.
Starting with the first of the leadership ranks, Star, the program requires completion of 6 merit badges, 4 Eagle badges and 2 general, in order to advance. For the Life rank, 11 total merit badges are required, including 7 Eagle-required and 4 general ones. For Eagle Scout, a total of 23 merit badges are required – 13 Eagle badges and 10 general ones.
Eagle Scout Merit Badges
While these badges can be done for fun, the two main purposes of these badges are to teach critical skills and to expose Eagle Candidates to the world outside of themselves. Critical skills include first aid, emergency preparedness, cooking, communication and personal management. Teaching the scout about the outside world include the “Citizenship” badges: Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, and Citizenship in the World. Environmental Science and Sustainability teach the scout about our impact on our world.
The Eagle merit badges make the scouts think about and care for their communities both on a local and global level, which is one of the main tenets of the Scouting program.
The Eagle Badges:
First Aid
Citizenship in the Community
Citizenship in the Nation
Citizenship in the World
Communication
Personal Fitness
Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving*
Environmental Science OR Sustainability*
Personal Management
Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling*
Camping
Cooking
Family Life
Other Merit Badges – Fun - with a Purpose
With names like Space Exploration, Game Design, Kayaking, Hiking, Small Boat Sailing, Geology, Aviation, Digital Technology, Archery and Wilderness Survival there are over 130 merit badges to explore and to stretch your mind and body with. Learn a new sport or activity. Learn a new skill. And in the case of many of the badges (think Aviation, Engineering, Geology, Plumbing, Welding, along with many others) learn about a career in the process. One of the requirements of these badges has a scout looking up career information on 3 positions related to that badge. Many scouts have reported they have chosen career fields based off of interests developed while completing a particular merit badge. So have fun, explore, and try on a new career through the Merit Badge program.
History of the Merit Badge Program
The merit badge program was started in 1911 with the issuance of 57 merit badges, over 20 of which are still in existence today. Many of these are based on the tenets of the outdoors and camp crafting which is the basis of the Boy Scouts. These include Pioneering, Woodcarving, Wood Work, Indian Lore, and Archery.
Many of the early badges have been discontinued, while others have been modified, renamed and updated for modern times. Amazingly, more than 30 merit badges issued in 1911 still exist today and are still very popular with the scouts.
New badges are issued yearly to reflect both changes in technology and interests, but often to reflect an industry’s needs. Such is the case with the recently issued Welding merit badge. Faced with declining interest in the trade, the American Welding Society (AWS) partnered with the BSA to create the Welding merit badge to encourage scouts to consider welding as an occupation. Since its inception in 2012, this badge is one of the most popular badges in the program with over 11,000 scouts earning the badge in 2013. The AWS and the BSA are pleased with the success of the badge, in hopes of filling the projected 140,000 welding job openings by 2019.
The Merit Badge Process – A Primer for Parents
It can be very confusing for both the scout and his parents the first time a scout starts working on a merit badge. What’s a blue card? How do you fill it out? How does the badge get done? What do I (he) have to do? These are all legitimate, daunting questions until you know the system. Hopefully this primer explains the process.
Pull a Blue Card
Once a scout chooses a merit badge to work on, they must obtain a form known as an Application for Merit Badge, otherwise known as a “blue card”. A three-part light-blue card provided by your Unit (Troop) Advancement team, the blue card is used to document a scout’s completion of an individual merit badge, and once completed, is the official record of his completion of this badge. (The badge itself is NOT proof.)
The scout fills out the name section under Application for Merit Badge. On the reverse side he fills out the counselor’s information (once known) and his name in the other two sections.
Have the scoutmaster sign it
On the front below the scout’s name there is a place for the scoutmaster’s (unit leader’s) signature approving the start of the work on the merit badge named. By signing, the scoutmaster knows the scout is working on a badge and can help guide him as needed.
Locate a counselor
Each unit (troop) maintains a list of merit badge counselors available at the district and council levels. Hopefully there is a counselor within the unit – many troops have a large group of talented and knowledgeable parents who are qualified merit badge counselors that help scouts with a variety of topics. The Advancement team is your resource for locating a suitable merit badge counselor.
Work on the badge
Going it alone – if a scout chooses a badge to work on by himself, ask the Advancement team or the Troop Librarian to borrow a copy of the Merit Badge book – the manual that lists all of the requirements to obtain the badge plus readings and activities necessary to complete the badge. These pamphlets are issued by the BSA, are reasonably priced ($4.95 each) and are easy to use. If the troop doesn’t have a copy, ask if they can get one for the troop, they should be happy to buy one. If borrowed, make sure it’s the latest version – many badges are updated along with the corresponding manual. A scout needs to be working on the latest requirements in order to earn the badge. Go to the BSA’s website for the latest listing of all the merit badges available along with their current requirements.
Print a copy of the worksheet from Meritbadge.org. While not a requirement, this free website offers all the merit badge requirements listed as workbooks with room to document what needs to be done for each section. These worksheets are highly recommended for the scouts. Print it off, staple it, write on it and show it to the counselor. No lost notes, it’s all right there.
Troop-sponsored merit badge classes – often troops will run merit badge classes for their own scouts, especially when there are several needing a particular badge to advance. This is particularly true of the Eagle badges. Often held in the winter during troop meetings, this is a good way to accomplish a badge and works to keep a scout on track with the badge.
Merit Badge Colleges – these are Council-sponsored events for the more technical merit badges (Welding, Engineering, Aviation, Fire Safety, Robotics) or badges requiring specialized equipment (Climbing, Scuba Diving, Search and Rescue). These will be announced through the Council or by the Troop Advancement team. Sign-up is handled through the Council’s website.
Summer Camp – if a scout attends a Boy Scout summer camp most likely merit badges are a part of the program offered. Ambitious scouts have come home after a week at camp with more than 6 completed badges.
If a lot badges have been started at camp often the scout comes home with a “Partial”, or partially completed badge (typically the Eagle badges). There’s no shame in not completing the badge – it’s an excellent start and means there’s less he has to do to finish that badge. Many partials eventually become “completes”.
There is no time limit for completion of a merit badge other than a scout’s age.
Report back to the counselor
Once the scout has completed his work he needs to show the counselor what he’s done. Remember the buddy system when meeting with the counselor outside of troop meetings. The BSA requires all counselors to be Youth Protection Trained but a scout needs to remember his responsibilities as well.
“No more no less” and follow the action words
When showing your stuff to the merit badge counselor remember what the requirements are. They are written with actions words such as “demonstrate”, “show”, or “explain”. In each case the scouts needs to do just that, and “NO MORE OR NO LESS”. The merit badge counselor cannot require a scout to do additional work. Often a counselor will go into further detail on a topic or encourage further exploration if a scout is interested but further work is not a requirement of the badge.
Signing off the badge
Once the counselor is satisfied the scout has completed the badge there are several steps to complete. First, the counselor will sign off the back of the Applicant’s Record section that all of the requirements have been completed, either individually, or a general “PASS” statement with a signature and date.
Secondly, the counselor will date and sign the counselor line on the Applicant Record section, the Application for Merit Badge section, and the Counselor’s Record section, and then retain the Counselor’s Record section for their records.
Lastly, have the Scoutmaster sign off on the Applicant’s Record section, and in that order.
Turning in the Blue Card
Once all signatures are obtained, the completed two sections of the blue card need to be submitted to the troop’s Advancement Chairperson for processing. The Advancement Chair records the completion of the badge in the scout’s record, and in Internet Advancement so that the local Council is aware of the completion. The Advancement Chair then purchases the badge itself and preps for the awards ceremony.
Presentation of the Badge
Units hold presentations of awards and rank advancements multiple times each year, usually spring, winter and at summer camp. Called Courts of Honor (COH), the scouts are individually recognized for their accomplishments over the last several months. Merit badges earned, other awards, and rank advancements are all recognized. The actual badge itself is presented to the scout along with the blue card section labeled “Applicant’s Record”. The Applicant’s Record is the scout’s ACTUAL PROOF of completion of the merit badge, not the badge. This section of blue card should be kept in a safe place. The badge is typically sewn onto a merit badge sash once a scout earns 6 or more merit badges and is worn proudly as part of his uniform.
It can be very confusing for both the scout and his parents the first time a scout starts working on a merit badge. What’s a blue card? How do you fill it out? How does the badge get done? What do I (he) have to do? These are all legitimate, daunting questions until you know the system. Hopefully this primer explains the process.
Pull a Blue Card
Once a scout chooses a merit badge to work on, they must obtain a form known as an Application for Merit Badge, otherwise known as a “blue card”. A three-part light-blue card provided by your Unit (Troop) Advancement team, the blue card is used to document a scout’s completion of an individual merit badge, and once completed, is the official record of his completion of this badge. (The badge itself is NOT proof.)
The scout fills out the name section under Application for Merit Badge. On the reverse side he fills out the counselor’s information (once known) and his name in the other two sections.
Have the scoutmaster sign it
On the front below the scout’s name there is a place for the scoutmaster’s (unit leader’s) signature approving the start of the work on the merit badge named. By signing, the scoutmaster knows the scout is working on a badge and can help guide him as needed.
Locate a counselor
Each unit (troop) maintains a list of merit badge counselors available at the district and council levels. Hopefully there is a counselor within the unit – many troops have a large group of talented and knowledgeable parents who are qualified merit badge counselors that help scouts with a variety of topics. The Advancement team is your resource for locating a suitable merit badge counselor.
Work on the badge
Going it alone – if a scout chooses a badge to work on by himself, ask the Advancement team or the Troop Librarian to borrow a copy of the Merit Badge book – the manual that lists all of the requirements to obtain the badge plus readings and activities necessary to complete the badge. These pamphlets are issued by the BSA, are reasonably priced ($4.95 each) and are easy to use. If the troop doesn’t have a copy, ask if they can get one for the troop, they should be happy to buy one. If borrowed, make sure it’s the latest version – many badges are updated along with the corresponding manual. A scout needs to be working on the latest requirements in order to earn the badge. Go to the BSA’s website for the latest listing of all the merit badges available along with their current requirements.
Print a copy of the worksheet from Meritbadge.org. While not a requirement, this free website offers all the merit badge requirements listed as workbooks with room to document what needs to be done for each section. These worksheets are highly recommended for the scouts. Print it off, staple it, write on it and show it to the counselor. No lost notes, it’s all right there.
Troop-sponsored merit badge classes – often troops will run merit badge classes for their own scouts, especially when there are several needing a particular badge to advance. This is particularly true of the Eagle badges. Often held in the winter during troop meetings, this is a good way to accomplish a badge and works to keep a scout on track with the badge.
Merit Badge Colleges – these are Council-sponsored events for the more technical merit badges (Welding, Engineering, Aviation, Fire Safety, Robotics) or badges requiring specialized equipment (Climbing, Scuba Diving, Search and Rescue). These will be announced through the Council or by the Troop Advancement team. Sign-up is handled through the Council’s website.
Summer Camp – if a scout attends a Boy Scout summer camp most likely merit badges are a part of the program offered. Ambitious scouts have come home after a week at camp with more than 6 completed badges.
If a lot badges have been started at camp often the scout comes home with a “Partial”, or partially completed badge (typically the Eagle badges). There’s no shame in not completing the badge – it’s an excellent start and means there’s less he has to do to finish that badge. Many partials eventually become “completes”.
There is no time limit for completion of a merit badge other than a scout’s age.
Report back to the counselor
Once the scout has completed his work he needs to show the counselor what he’s done. Remember the buddy system when meeting with the counselor outside of troop meetings. The BSA requires all counselors to be Youth Protection Trained but a scout needs to remember his responsibilities as well.
“No more no less” and follow the action words
When showing your stuff to the merit badge counselor remember what the requirements are. They are written with actions words such as “demonstrate”, “show”, or “explain”. In each case the scouts needs to do just that, and “NO MORE OR NO LESS”. The merit badge counselor cannot require a scout to do additional work. Often a counselor will go into further detail on a topic or encourage further exploration if a scout is interested but further work is not a requirement of the badge.
Signing off the badge
Once the counselor is satisfied the scout has completed the badge there are several steps to complete. First, the counselor will sign off the back of the Applicant’s Record section that all of the requirements have been completed, either individually, or a general “PASS” statement with a signature and date.
Secondly, the counselor will date and sign the counselor line on the Applicant Record section, the Application for Merit Badge section, and the Counselor’s Record section, and then retain the Counselor’s Record section for their records.
Lastly, have the Scoutmaster sign off on the Applicant’s Record section, and in that order.
Turning in the Blue Card
Once all signatures are obtained, the completed two sections of the blue card need to be submitted to the troop’s Advancement Chairperson for processing. The Advancement Chair records the completion of the badge in the scout’s record, and in Internet Advancement so that the local Council is aware of the completion. The Advancement Chair then purchases the badge itself and preps for the awards ceremony.
Presentation of the Badge
Units hold presentations of awards and rank advancements multiple times each year, usually spring, winter and at summer camp. Called Courts of Honor (COH), the scouts are individually recognized for their accomplishments over the last several months. Merit badges earned, other awards, and rank advancements are all recognized. The actual badge itself is presented to the scout along with the blue card section labeled “Applicant’s Record”. The Applicant’s Record is the scout’s ACTUAL PROOF of completion of the merit badge, not the badge. This section of blue card should be kept in a safe place. The badge is typically sewn onto a merit badge sash once a scout earns 6 or more merit badges and is worn proudly as part of his uniform.