Introduction to Merit Badges

The following link will take you to a website that includes the current requirements for all of the current merit badge subjects.

You can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business and future careers as you earn these merit badges. There are more than 100 merit badges (119 as of January 1,2001). Any Boy Scout may earn any merit badge at any time. You don’t need to have had rank advancement to be eligible.

Pick A Subject. Talk to your Scoutmaster about your interests. Read the requirements of the merit badges you think might interest you. Pick one to earn. Your Scoutmaster will give you the name of a person from a list of counselors. These counselors 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 another Scout, your parents or guardian, a brother or sister, a relative or a friend.

Call The Counselor. Get a signed merit badge application from your Scoutmaster. Get in touch with the merit badge counselor and tell him or her that you want to earn the merit badge. The counselor may ask you to come and see him so he can explain what he expects and start helping you meet the requirements.

When you know what is expected, start to learn and do the things required. 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 and school or public libraries have them.

Show Your Stuff. When you are ready, call the counselor again to make an appointment to meet the requirements. 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 ask you to do each requirement to make sure that you know your stuff and have done or can do the things required.

Get The Badge. When the counselor is satisfied that you have met each requirement, he or she will sign your application. Give the signed application to your Scoutmaster so that your merit badge emblem can be secured for you.

Requirements. You are expected to meet the requirements as they are stated --- no more and no less. You are expected to 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 posted on this system might not match those in the merit badge pamphlets because the pamphlets may not have been recently revised. Where they differ, use these requirements rather than those in the pamphlet.

Note:  There is NO DEADLINE for earning Merit Badges, except the Scout's 18th Birthday.  Once a Scout has started working on a Merit Badge (i.e. obtained a signed "Blue Card" Application for Merit Badge from his Scoutmaster, had an initial discussion with a merit badge Counselor, and started working on the requirements), he may continue using those requirements until he completes the badge or turns 18. 

THERE IS NO ONE YEAR LIMIT ON SO-CALLED "PARTIALS".

In contrast to the rule for rank advancements, which imposes a specific deadline for using the old requirements, The rule for Merit Badges is as follows:

If the requirements change while a Scout is working on the badge, he may continue to use the OLD requirements until he completes the work, or he may use the new requirements if he wishes.  It is HIS choice, and his alone.

If a Merit Badge is discontinued, Scouts working on the badge when it is removed from the Boy Scout Requirements booklet may continue to work toward completing the badge, and get credit for earning the badge, until they turn 18.   However, it may not be possible to obtain an actual merit badge patch, once the local council's supply is exhausted.

If a discontinued Merit Badge is replaced with one or more other Merit Badges covering the same or similar topics (such as Rifle and Shotgun Shooting MB which was replaced by Rifle Shooting MB and Shotgun Shooting MB), a Scout that has earned the discontinued badge may also earn the new badge or badges.  If the badge is simply renamed (such as  Firemanship MB which was changed to Fire Safety MB), Scouts may NOT earn the badge again.  If the badge number in BSA's numbering system  is the same before and after the change, it is a renaming. If a new number is assigned, it is a replacement.