Merit Badge Info

Merit badges are awards for Scouts that teach skills in over 135 subjects, ranging from personal fitness to trades and hobbies, aiding in rank advancement. A registered counselor must sign off on all completed requirements, often documented using a "blue card.” A "Blue Card" is the official "Application for Merit Badges," and is used to track progress.

How to Earn A Merit Badge

1. Identify Interest: Pick a merit badge you’re interested in.

2. Obtain a Blue Card: Speak with your Scoutmaster to get a signed blue card to start.

3. Find a Counselor: Ask your Scoutmaster for a list of approved counselors.

4. Complete Requirements: Work with the counselor to finish all requirements.

5. Get Signed Off: The counselor will sign your blue card once you’ve completed all requirements.

6. Review: Bring your signed blue card back to your Scoutmaster for their final signature

7. Turn In Your Blue Card: Once the above steps are completed, give your Blue Card to the advancement chair parent in your troop, it will then be formally recorded, and finally, awarded at the next troop Court of Honor. 

Key Details on Merit Badges:

Eagle Rank – To earn the rank of Eagle Scout, you must complete at least 21 merit badges before earning the Eagle Scout rank. Of those 21 badges, 13 must come from this list of Eagle-required merit badges and the rest can be any badges not used for these 13:

1. Camping

2. Citizenship in the Community

3. Citizenship in the Nation

4. Citizenship in the World

5. Cooking

6. Communications

7. Family Life

8. First Aid

9. Personal Fitness

10. Personal Management

Earn one Merit Badge from each of the following:

For badges 11, 12 and 13 listed below, only one of the badges listed can be used as an Eagle-required badge. If another in the grouping is earned, it can be counted as one of the 7 optional merit badges required to reach Eagle rank.

For example, if a Scout earns Cycling and Hiking merit badges to fulfill their Life rank requirement, when applying for Eagle, either the Cycling or the Hiking can be counted as a required merit badge and the other can be counted as an optional merit badge.

Having these required merit badges from a range of disciplines ensures that an Eagle Scout has experienced doing badges that support Scouting America’s mission and vision. These present concepts around citizenship, family, personal responsibility, preparedness, physical fitness, and outdoors skills.

11. Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving (Pick one – you may do both, but only one will be counted towards the 13 required for Eagle Rank. The other will be counted towards an elective merit badge.)

12. Environmental Science or Sustainability (Pick one - you may do both, but only one will be counted towards the 13 required for Eagle Rank. The other will be counted towards an elective merit badge.)

13. Swimming or Hiking or Cycling (Pick one - you may do all three, but only one will be counted towards the 13 required for Eagle Rank. The others will be counted towards elective merit badges.)