Merit badge (Boy Scouts of America)

For history regarding merit badges types, see History of merit badges (Boy Scouts of America).

File:MeritBadgeSash.JPG

A sample merit badge sash: From left to right, starting at top; 1 Swimming, Mammal Study, Environmental Science; 2 Basketry, Wood Carving, Dog Care; 3 Wilderness Survival, Emergency Prepardness, Bird Study; 4 Public Speaking, Scholarship, Law; 5 Rifle Shooting, Archery, Metalwork; 6 Fish and Wildlife Management, Citizenship in the Nation, Orienteering; 7 Citizenship in the Community, Communications, Personal Management; 8 Soil and Water Conservation, Reptile Study, Lifesaving; 9 Forestry, Citizenship in the World, Safety

Merit badges are awards earned by youth members of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), a U.S.-based organization, based on activities within an area of study by completing a list of periodically updated requirements. Each merit badge has a pamphlet published by the Boy Scouts of America associated with it; the pamphlet contains information on completing the requirements for the badge. Certain merit badges are required in order to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. Merit badges are displayed on a sash which may be optionally worn diagonally across the front of the Boy Scout uniform.

The current merit badge system began in 1979; three merit badges have not been updated since that time – Athletics, Mammal Study and Pulp and Paper. The most recent new merit badges Nuclear Science, created in 2005 as a redesigned Atomic Energy badge; Snow Sports, created in 1999 as a redesigned Skiing merit badge; and Fly Fishing, split off from the Fishing merit badge in 2002. The most recent completely new merit badges are Composite Materials, created in 2006^[1]; Archaeology and Climbing, both created in 1997; and Entrepeneurship, created in 1998. The Boy Scouts of America are, as of 2005, field-testing a Hunting merit badge.^[2]

Besides the BSA, these Scouting organizations are known to issue or have issued merit badges: Canada, Japan, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Austria has a program similar to merit badges for certain age groups.

List of current merit badges

Click on the badge's name for an external list of requirements US Scouts.org.^[3]

Name	Year of creation	Year of most recent update	Notes & Wiki links
American Business	1967c	2003	American Business
American Cultures	1979	2005	American Cultures
American Heritage	1975	2005	American Heritage
American Labor	1987	1987	American Labor
Animal Science	1975	2001	Animal Science
Archaeology	1997	1997	Archaeology
Archery	1911	2005	Archery
Architecture	1911	1995	Architecture
Art	1911	2002	often considered one of the easiest badges to get Art
Astronomy	1911	2005	Astronomy
Athletics	1911	prior to 1979	Athletics
Auto Mechanics	1992	2001	Auto mechanic
Aviation	1911	2001	Aviation
Backpacking	1982	2003	Backpacking
Basketry	1927	2004	Basketry
Bird Study	1914	2005	Bird Study
Bugling	1911	2004	shares a merit badge pamphlet with Music Bugle, Music
Camping	1911	2005	Camping
Canoeing	1927	2005	Canoeing
Chemistry	1911	2005	Chemistry
Cinematography	1990	2002	Cinematography
Citizenship in the Community	1952	2005	Eagle-required Citizenship
Citizenship in the Nation	1951	2005	Eagle-required Citizenship
Citizenship in the World	1972	1993	Eagle-required Citizenship in the World
Climbing	1997	2000	Climbing
Coin Collecting	1938	2003	Coin collecting
Collections	1991	2004	Collections
Communications	1965	2004	Eagle-required Communications
Composite Materials	2006	2006	Composite materials
Computers	1967	2005	Computers
Cooking	1911	2005	Cooking
Crime Prevention	1996	1996	Crime Prevention
Cycling	1911	2005	Eagle-required Cycling
Dentistry	1975	2003	Dentistry
Disabilities Awareness	1993	2005	Disability
Dog Care	1938	2004	Dog Care
Drafting	1965	1993	Drafting
Electricity	1911	2005	Electricity
Electronics	1963	2005	Electronics
Emergency Preparedness	1972	2005	Eagle-required Emergency preparedness
Energy	1976	2005	Energy
Engineering	1967	2001	Engineering
Entrepreneurship	1997	1998	Entrepreneurship
Environmental Science	1972	1999	Eagle-required Environmental science
Family Life	1991	2005	Eagle-required Family values
Farm Mechanics	1928	1998	Farm Machinery
Fingerprinting	1938	2004	often considered one of the easiest badges to get Fingerprinting
Fire Safety	1995	2005	Fire safety
First Aid	1911	2005	Eagle-required First aid
Fish and Wildlife Management	1972	2005	Wildlife management
Fishing	1952	2003	Fishing
Fly Fishing	2002	2003	Fly Fishing
Forestry	1911	1984	Forestry
Gardening	1911	2003	Gardening
Genealogy	1972	1983	Genealogy
Geology	1953	2005	Geology
Golf	1976	2003	Golf
Graphic Arts	1987	1999	Graphic Arts
Hiking	1921	2000	Eagle-required Hiking
Home Repairs	1943	2003	Home Repair
Horsemanship	1911	2004	Horsemanship
Indian Lore	1931	1995	Indian culture
Insect Study	1985	2003	Insect Study
Journalism	1927	1999	Journalism
Landscape Architecture	1967	2003	Landscape Architecture
Law	1974	2003	Law
Leatherwork	1951	2003	Leather
Lifesaving	1911	2001	Eagle-required Lifesaving
Mammal Study	1985	prior to 1979	Mammal Study
Medicine	1991	2005	Medicine
Metalwork	1927	2005	Metalwork
Model Design and Building	1963	2004	Model Design and Building
Motorboating	1961	1998	Motorboating
Music	1911	2004	shares a merit badge pamphlet with Bugling Music
Nature	1952	2004	Nature
Nuclear Science	2005	2005	Nuclear Science
Oceanography	1964	2004	Oceanography
Orienteering	1973	2004	Orienteering
Painting	1911	2003	Painting
Personal Fitness	1952	1999	Eagle-requiredPersonal Fitness
Personal Management	1972	2004	Eagle-required Personal Management
Pet	1958	2005	Pets
Photography	1911	2005	Photography
Pioneering	1911	1993	Pioneering
Plant Science	1974	2005	Plant Science
Plumbing	1911	2005	Plumbing
Pottery	1927	2003	Pottery
Public Health	1911	2005	Public Health
Public Speaking	1932	2003	Public Speaking
Pulp and Paper	1972	2006	Pulp and Paper Merit Badge
Radio	1923	2002	Radio
Railroading	1952	2005	Railroad
Reading	1929	2004	Reading
Reptile and Amphibian Study	1993	2005	Reptile, Amphibian
Rifle Shooting	1988	2002	Rifle
Rowing	1933	1999	Sport rowing
Safety	1927	1998	Safety
Salesmanship	1927	2004	Sales
Scholarship	1911	2005	Scholarship
Sculpture	1911	2003	Sculpture
Shotgun Shooting	1988	1987	requirements predate merit badge because it was formerly part of Rifle and Shotgun Shooting merit badge Shotgun, Shooting
Skating	1973	1999	Ice skating, Roller skating
Small-Boat Sailing	1964	2005	Sailing
Snow Sports	1999	1999	Winter sport
Soil and Water Conservation	1952	2005	Soil, Water, Conservation
Space Exploration	1965	2005	Space Exploration
Sports	1972	1996	Sport
Stamp Collecting	1932	2001	Stamp Collecting
Surveying	1911	2005	Surveying
Swimming	1911	2002	Eagle-required Swimming
Textile	1973	2004	Textile
Theater	1967	2005	Theater
Traffic Safety	1975	2002	Traffic Safety
Truck Transportation	1973	2005	Truck Transportation
Veterinary Medicine	1995	2005	Veterinary medicine
Water Skiing	1969	1999	Water Skiing
Weather	1927	1987	Weather
Whitewater	1987	2005	Whitewater
Wilderness Survival	1987	2002	Survival skills
Wood Carving	1923	2002	Wood Carving
Woodwork	1923	2004	Woodwork

Merit Badge Colleges

Merit Badge Colleges, which are also called Merit badge weekends or Merit badge midways when held at a camporee or jamboree, are events held where several troops or merit badge counselors come together and focus on teaching merit badges. There is some controversy whether Eagle-required merit badges should be available. Some believe that Scouts wishing to earn the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout should be able to seek out counselors for those badges themselves and do the requirements solo. Others believe all merit badges should be available to all Scouts.

See also

• Discontinued merit badges (Boy Scouts of America)
• Eagle Palms
• History of merit badges (Boy Scouts of America)
• Scouting memorabilia collecting

Footnotes

1. ^ "Requirements for new Composite Materials merit badge". US Scouts.org. January 18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
2. ^ "Helping Scouts Advance". Merit Badge Research Center. September 26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
3. ^ "Merit Badge Requirements". US Scouts.org Advancement section. February 09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

References

• "Current Merit Badge Pamphlet and Merit Badge Requirement Revision Dates". US Scouts.org. September 26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help) (dates of revision)
• "Merit Badges, Past and Present". Scouters' Pages. September 26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help) (dates of creation)

External links

• Merit Badge Requirements and Pamphlets