Merit Badges

Merit badges let Scouts explore subjects that interest them, from camping and first aid to robotics, art, and careers. There are more than 130 merit badges. Each one is a chance to learn a real skill from an adult expert, called a merit badge counselor.

Who can earn them

Any registered Scout in a troop can earn merit badges, at any rank. There’s no limit to how many a Scout can earn, and Scouts don’t need to finish them in any particular order.

How it works

1. Pick a badge. Choose a subject that interests you, or one you need for advancement.

2. Talk to your Scoutmaster. and Merit Badge Coordinator. They approve the start and give you the name of a registered merit badge counselor.

3. Contact the counselor. Reach out to your counselor, always with another Scout, a parent, or another adult included (no one-on-one contact).

4. Do the requirements. Use the official requirements and the merit badge pamphlet. Do exactly what each requirement says, no more and no less.

5. Meet with the counselor. Show your work and discuss what you learned. The counselor signs off on each requirement as you complete it.

6. Get credit. Once the counselor approves the badge, it’s recorded in Scoutbook, and you receive the badge at the next court of honor.

You can work on a badge over several months. Partial progress carries over until you turn 18.

Merit badges and rank advancement

Merit badges are part of the requirements for Star, Life, and Eagle Scout:

Rank Merit badges required

Star 6 total (4 from the Eagle-required list)

Life 11 total (7 from the Eagle-required list)

Eagle 21 total (13 from the Eagle-required list)

Eagle-required merit badges

Eagle Scout requires 13 merit badges from this list. Where badges are grouped, the Scout only needs one of them.

• Camping

• Citizenship in the Community

• Citizenship in the Nation

• Citizenship in the World

• Communication

• Cooking

• Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving

• Environmental Science or Sustainability

• Family Life

• First Aid

• Personal Fitness

• Personal Management

• Swimming or Hiking or Cycling

The other 8 can be any merit badges the Scout chooses.

Where Scouts earn merit badges

1. Summer camp: a week of classes on many badges, one of the fastest ways to make progress.

2. Merit badge days, universities, and colleges: one-day events hosted by councils, districts, and schools.

3. Troop meetings and campouts: some badges fit naturally into troop activities.

4. On their own: working one-on-one (with a buddy) with a counselor at their own pace.

Tips for Scouts

• Read the requirements before class or camp. Many badges have prerequisites you must finish at home.

• Keep your work, worksheets, and notes until the badge is fully signed off.

• Badges with long-term requirements, like Personal Fitness (12 weeks) and Personal Management (13 weeks), take planning. Start them early.

• Ask questions. Counselors want to help you learn.

Resources

Official merit badge requirements and pamphlets

Scoutbook, to track your progress