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Scouts BSA has a lot to offer, but don’t let the number of merit badges scare you away. With exposure to a uniquely hands-on learning experience and the opportunity to earn merit badges reflecting each Scout’s budding interests, youth unlock a world of discovery around them and forge a path for the future. 

Additional training can be found for merit badge counselors at my.scouting.org.

Merit Badges

American Business

American Cultures

American Heritage

American Labor

Animal Science

Animation

Archaeology

Archery

Architecture

Art

Astronomy

Athletics

Automotive Maintenance

Aviation

Backpacking

Basketry

Bird Study

Bugling

Camping

Canoeing

Chemistry

Chess

Citizenship in the Community

Citizenship in the Nation

Citizenship in the World

Climbing

Coin Collecting

Collections

Communication

Composite Materials

Cooking

Crime Prevention

Cycling

Dentistry

Digital Technology

Disabilities Awareness

Dog Care

Drafting

Electricity

Electronics

Emergency Preparedness

Energy

Engineering

Entrepreneurship

Environmental Science

Exploration

Family Life

Farm Mechanics

Fingerprinting

Fire Safety

First Aid

Fish and Wildlife Management

Fishing

Fly Fishing

Forestry

Game Design

Gardening

Genealogy

Geocaching

Geology

Golf

Graphic Arts

Hiking

Home Repairs

Horsemanship

Indian Lore

Insect Study

Inventing

Journalism
 

Merit badges give scouts the opportunity to investigate around 120 different areas of knowledge and skills. The merit badge program plays a major role in the scouting advancement program and participation can begin as soon as a scout registers with a troop. Each scout can explore topics from American Business to Woodworking as they have interest. The only limitations are their ambition and availability of adult merit badge counselors to offer instruction.

The Scout plans their advancement and progresses at their own pace as they meet each challenge. The Scout is rewarded for each achievement, which helps them gain self-confidence. The steps in the advancement system help a Scout grow in self-reliance and in the ability to help others. 

  1. Scout requests BLUE CARD and a Merit Badge (MB) Counselor to work with from the Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster.

  2. Scout meets with MB Counselor and works on requirements.

  3. Counselor signs off on completed requirements.

  4. Scout obtains sign off from Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster.

  5. Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster submits Advancement Report for MB.

  6. Scout stores the signed blue card showing MB completion separately from Scout book.

  7. Parent Hint:  make a photocopy of the blue cards. Originals store perfectly in baseball card vinyl sheets in a 3-ring binder.

Required Merit Badges: A scout can begin taking merit badges as soon as they join a troop, but no merit badges are required for advancement until reaching First Class rank. Advancement to Star, Life, and Eagle all require completion of merit badges, service, and demonstration of responsibility. To reach Eagle rank, a scout must complete a total of at least 21 Boy Scout merit badges, 13 of which come from the Eagle-required badge list. 

The Eagle Required merit badges are as follows:  

(a) First Aid

(b) Citizenship in the Community

(c) Citizenship in the Nation

(d) Citizenship in the World

(e) Communication

(f) Cooking

(g) Personal Fitness

(h) Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving

(i) Environmental Science OR Sustainability

(j) Personal Management

(k) Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling

(l) Camping

(m) Family Life

Scouts must choose only one of the merit badges listed in categories h, i, and k. Any additional merit badge(s) earned in those categories may be counted as one of the eight optional merit badges used to make a total of 21.

Following is a list of ALL merit badges as of 2021:

Kayaking

Landscape Architecture

Law

Leatherwork

Lifesaving

Mammal Study

Medicine

Metalwork

Mining in Society

Model Design and Building

Motorboating

Moviemaking

Music

Nature

Nuclear Science

Oceanography

Orienteering

Painting

Personal Fitness

Personal Management

Pets

Photography

Pioneering

Plant Science

Plumbing

Pottery

Programming

Public Health

Public Speaking

Pulp and Paper

Radio

Railroading

Reading

Reptile and Amphibian Study

Rifle Shooting

Robotics

Rowing

Safety

Salesmanship

Scholarship

Scouting Heritage

Scuba Diving

Sculpture

Search and Rescue

Shotgun Shooting

Signs, Signals, and Codes

Skating

Small-Boat Sailing

Snow Sports

Soil and Water Conservation

Space Exploration

Sports

Stamp Collecting

Surveying

Sustainability

Swimming

Textile

Theater

Traffic Safety

Truck Transportation

Veterinary Medicine

Water Sports

Weather

Welding

Whitewater

Wilderness Survival

Wood Carving

Woodwork

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