List of Merit Badges

(current as of Oct 2008)

A boy scout can begin taking merit badges as soon as he joins a troop, but no merit badges are required for advancement until he receives his First Class rank. Advancement to Star, Life, and Eagle all require completion of merit badges, service, and leadership. To reach Eagle rank, a scout must complete a total of at least 21 Boy Scout merit badges, 12 of which come from the Eagle-required badge list.

American Business American Cultures American Heritage American Labor Animal Science Archaeology Archery Architecture Art Astronomy Athletics Auto Mechanics Aviation Backpacking Basketry Bird Study Bugling Camping Canoeing Chemistry Cinematography Citizenship in the Community Citizenship in the Nation Citizenship in the World Climbing Coin Collecting Collections Communications Composite Materials Computers Cooking Crime Prevention Cycling Dentistry Disabilities Awareness Dog Care Drafting Electricity Electronics Emergency Preparedness Energy

Engineering Entrepreneurship Environmental Science Family Life Farm Mechanics Fingerprinting Fire Safety First Aid Fish and Wildlife Management Fishing Fly Fishing Forestry Gardening Genealogy Geology Golf Graphic Arts Hiking Home Repairs Horsemanship Indian Lore Insect Study Journalism Landscape Architecture Law Leatherwork Lifesaving Mammal Study Medicine Metalwork Model Design and Building Motorboating Music Nature Nuclear Science Oceanography Orienteering Painting Personal Fitness Personal Management Pets

Photography Pioneering Plant Science Plumbing Pottery Public Health Public Speaking Pulp and Paper Radio Railroading Reading Reptile and Amphibian Study Rifle Shooting Rowing Safety Salesmanship Scholarship Sculpture Shotgun Shooting Skating Small-Boat Sailing Snow Sports Soil and Water Conservation Space Exploration Sports Stamp Collecting Surveying Swimming Textile Theater Traffic Safety Truck Transportation Veterinary Medicine Water Sports Weather Whitewater Wilderness Survival Wood Carving Woodwork