You can learn about sports, crafts, science, trades, business, and future careers as you earn merit badges. There are more than 100 merit badges. 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 to meet you to explain what is expected of you and to 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 Scout?master 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 below might not match those in the merit badge pamphlets because the pamphlets may not have been recently revised.
Resources
Merit Badge Requirements
Below is a list, (from the Scout.org website) in alphabetical order, of all of the current merit badge subjects. Click each subject to see the requirements for that merit badge.
American Business
Archaeology
Athletics
Bird Study
Chess
Climbing
Computers
Disabilities Awareness
Emergency Preparedness
Family Life
Fish and Wildlife Management
Genealogy
Hiking
Inventing
Leatherwork
Model Design and Building
Oceanography
Pets
Pottery
Railroading
Rowing
Scuba Diving
Small-Boat Sailing
Stamp Collecting
Traffic Safety
Welding
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American Cultures
Archery
Automotive Maintenance
Bugling
Cinematography
Coin Collecting
Cooking
Dog Care
Energy
Farm Mechanics
Fishing
Geocaching
Home Repairs
Journalism
Lifesaving
Motorboating
Orienteering
Photography
Public Health
Reading
Safety
Sculpture
Snow Sports
Surveying
Truck Transportation
Whitewater
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American Heritage
Architecture
Aviation
Camping
Citizenship in the Community
Collections
Crime Prevention
Drafting
Engineering
Fingerprinting
Fly-Fishing
Geology
Horsemanship
Kayaking
Mammal Study
Music
Painting
Pioneering
Public Speaking
Reptile and Amphibian Study
Salesmanship
Search and Rescue
Soil and Water Conservation
Swimming
Veterinary Medicine
Wilderness Survival
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American Labor
Art
Backpacking
Canoeing
Citizenship in the Nation
Communication
Cycling
Electricity
Entrepreneurship
Fire Safety
Forestry
Golf
Indian Lore
Landscape Architecture
Medicine
Nature
Personal Fitness
Plant Science
Pulp and Paper
Rifle Shooting
Scholarship
Shotgun Shooting
Space Exploration
Textile
Water Sports
Wood Carving
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Animal Science
Astronomy
Basketry
Chemistry
Citizenship in the World
Composite Materials
Dentistry
Electronics
Environmental Science
First Aid
Gardening
Graphic Arts
Insect Study
Law
Metalwork
Nuclear Science
Personal Management
Plumbing
Radio
Robotics
Scouting Heritage
Skating
Sports
Theater
Weather
Woodwork
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