Merit badge ( Boy Scouts of America ) - wikipedia Merit badge ( Boy Scouts of America ) For history regarding merit badge types, see History of merit badges ( Boy Scouts of America ). Merit badges Fish and Wildlife Management merit badge Owner Boy Scouts of America Created 1911 Scouting portal Merit badges are awards earned by youth members of the Boy Scouts of America ( BSA ), based on activities within an area of study by completing a list of periodically updated requirements. The purpose of the merit badge program is to allow Scouts to examine subjects to determine if they would like to further pursue them as a career or vocation. Originally, the program also introduced Scouts to the life skills of contacting an adult they had n't met before, arranging a meeting and then demonstrating their skills, similar to a job or college interview. Increasingly, though, merit badges are earned in a class setting at troop meetings and summer camps. Each merit badge has a pamphlet ( booklet ) published by the Boy Scouts of America associated with it ; the pamphlet contains information on completing the requirements for the badge. Scouts must meet up with their Scoutmaster to receive a signed blue card in order to begin working on a merit badge. The Scout then contacts an adult who is registered as a counselor for that merit badge in order to learn which badge requirements they must complete before meeting up with the counselor. Once these requirements are completed, the Scout meets with the counselor to demonstrate that he 's completed the requirements. The counselor then ' signs off ' on each requirement. After completing the merit badge, the Scout can then buy his merit badge patch. The award of a merit badge is represented by circular patch with an image representing the badge 's topic. The patches for the Eagle - required merit badges are distinguishable by the silver ring on the outside edge. Merit badges are displayed on a sash which can be worn with the Boy Scout uniform on formal occasions. Every year the National Council reviews and updates a certain number of merit badges. There are over 100 merit badges. Scouting organizations in other countries issue or have issued merit badges, including Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Austria has a program similar to merit badges for certain age groups. A sample merit badge sash : From left to right, starting at top ; 1 Swimming, Mammal Study, Environmental Science ; 2 Basketry, Wood Carving, Dog Care ; 3 Wilderness Survival, Emergency Preparedness, Bird Study ; 4 Public Speaking, Scholarship, Law ; 5 Rifle Shooting, Archery, Metalwork ; 6 Fish and Wildlife Management, Citizenship in the Nation, Orienteering ; 7 Citizenship in the Community, Communications, Personal Management ; 8 Soil and Water Conservation, Reptile Study, Lifesaving ; 9 Forestry, Citizenship in the World, Safety Contents 1 Required for Eagle Scout 2 Current badges 3 `` Colleges '' 4 Workbooks 5 Historical program 6 See also 7 References 7.1 Sources 8 External links Required for Eagle Scout The current requirements for Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouting, involve earning 21 merit badges including 13 from this list : Camping Citizenship in the Community. Citizenship in the Nation. Citizenship in the World. Communications Cooking. Lifesaving or Emergency Preparedness. Environmental Science or Sustainability. Family Life. First Aid. Personal Fitness. Personal Management Swimming, Hiking, or Cycling. Current badges The last revision date indicates the date of the latest requirement changes ; the copyright or printing dates of merit badge pamphlets may have a different date. The Eagle Scout required merit badges are shaded in gray ( see above paragraph for details ). Name Created Requirements revision Pamphlet revision Related subjects American Business 1967 2002 2008 Business, Economy of the United States American Cultures 1979 2005 2008 Ethnic groups in the United States American Heritage 2005 2008 History of the United States, Historic preservation American Labor 2006 2008 Trade unions Animal Science 2006 2008 Animal husbandry Animation 2015 2015 2015 Animation Archaeology 1997 2008 2008 Archaeology Archery 1911 2012 2008 Archery Architecture 1911 2008 2008 Architecture Art 1911 2006 2008 Art Astronomy 1911 2013 2013 Astronomy Athletics 1911 2006 2008 Track and field athletics Automotive Maintenance 2008 2008 2012 Auto mechanics Aviation 1952 2006 2008 Aviation Backpacking 1982 2007 2008 Backpacking Basketry 1927 2003 2008 Basket weaving Bird Study 1914 2005 2008 Ornithology Bugling 1911 2003 2008 Bugle Camping 1911 2005 2008 Camping Canoeing 1927 2008 Canoeing Chemistry 1911 2008 Chemistry Chess 2011 2011 2011 Chess Citizenship in the Community 1952 2005 2013 Citizenship Citizenship in the Nation 1951 2005 2008 Citizenship Citizenship in the World 1972 2005 2008 Global citizenship Climbing 1997 2006 2008 Climbing Coin Collecting 1938 2008 2008 Coin collecting Collections 1991 2008 2008 Collecting Communication 1968 2003 2008 Communication Composite Materials 2006 2006 2008 Composite materials Cooking 1911 2016 2014 Cooking Crime Prevention 2005 2008 Crime prevention Cycling 1911 2003 2008 Cycling Dentistry 2006 2008 Dentistry Digital Technology 2014 2014 2014 Technology Disabilities Awareness 1993 2005 2008 Disability Dog Care 1938 2003 2008 Dogs Drafting 1965 2008 2008 Technical drawing Electricity 1911 2008 Electricity Electronics 1963 2008 Electronics Emergency Preparedness 1972 2008 2016 Emergency management Energy 1976 2005 2008 Energy Engineering 1967 2008 2008 Engineering Entrepreneurship 1997 2006 2008 Entrepreneurship Environmental Science 1972 2006 2008 Environmental science Exploration 2017 2017 2017 Exploring Family Life 1991 2005 2013 Family values Farm Mechanics 1928 2008 2008 Agricultural machinery Fingerprinting 1938 2003 2008 Fingerprinting Fire Safety 1995 2008 Fire safety First Aid 1911 2007 2008 First aid Fish and Wildlife Management 1972 2008 Wildlife management Fishing 1952 2002 2008 Fishing Fly Fishing 2002 2002 2008 Fly fishing Forestry 1911 2005 2008 Forestry Game Design 2013 2013 2013 Game Design Gardening 1911 2002 2008 Gardening Genealogy 1972 2005 2008 Genealogy, Family history Geocaching Geocaching Geology 1953 2005 2008 Geology Golf 1976 2002 2008 Golf Graphic Arts 2006 2008 Graphic design Hiking 1921 2007 2008 Hiking Home Repairs 1943 2002 2008 Home repairs Horsemanship 1911 2011 2008 Equestrianism Indian Lore 1931 2008 2008 Native American culture Insect Study 1985 2008 2008 Entomology Inventing Invention Journalism 1927 2006 2008 Journalism Kayaking 2012 2012 2016 Kayaking Landscape Architecture 1967 2008 2008 Landscape architecture Law 2003 2008 Law Leatherwork 1951 2002 2008 Leather crafting Lifesaving 1911 2008 2008 Lifeguarding Mammal Study 1985 2003 2008 Zoology Medicine 1991 2002 2008 Medicine Metalwork 1927 2007 2008 Metalworking Mining in Society 2014 2014 2014 Mining Model Design and Building 1963 2003 2008 Scale models Motorboating 1961 2008 2008 Motorboat Moviemaking 2013 2013 2013 Filmmaking Music 1911 2003 2008 Music Nature 1952 2003 2008 Nature Nuclear Science 2005 2011 2008 Nuclear physics Oceanography 1964 2003 2008 Oceanography Orienteering 1973 2003 2008 Orienteering Painting 1911 2008 2008 Paint Personal Fitness 1952 2006 2008 Physical fitness Personal Management 1972 2003 2008 Personal finances, time management Pets 1958 2003 2008 Pets Photography 1911 2016 2015 Photography Pioneering 1911 2006 2008 Pioneering Plant Science 2005 2008 Botany Plumbing 1911 2008 Plumbing Pottery 1927 2008 2008 Pottery Programming 2013 2013 2013 Computer programming Public Health 1911 2005 2008 Public health Public Speaking 1932 2002 2008 Public speaking Pulp and Paper 1972 2006 2008 Pulp, Papermaking Radio 1923 2008 2008 Radio Railroading 1952 2003 2008 Rail transport Reading 1929 2003 2008 Reading Reptile and Amphibian Study 1993 2005 2008 Herpetology Rifle Shooting 1988 2008 Rifle, Shooting Robotics 2011 2011 2011 Robotics Rowing 1933 2006 2008 Rowing Safety 1927 2006 2008 Safety Salesmanship 1927 2003 2008 Sales Scholarship 1911 2008 Scholarship Scouting Heritage History of the Boy Scouts of America Scuba Diving 2009 2009 2009 Scuba Diving Sculpture 1911 2007 2008 Sculpture Search and Rescue 2012 2012 2012 Search and rescue Shotgun Shooting 1988 2005 2008 Shotgun, shooting Signs, Signals, and Codes 2015 2015 2015 Signs, signals, codes Skating 1973 2005 2008 Ice skating, Roller skating Small - Boat Sailing 1964 2008 Sailing Snow Sports 1999 2007 2008 Skiing, Snowboarding Soil and Water Conservation 1952 2008 Soil conservation, Water conservation Space Exploration 1965 2008 Space exploration Sports 1972 2011 2008 Sports Stamp Collecting 1932 2007 2008 Stamp collecting Surveying 1911 2008 Surveying Sustainability 2013 2013 2013 Sustainability Swimming 1911 2014 2008 Swimming Textile 1973 2003 2008 Textiles Theater 1967 2005 2008 Theatre Traffic Safety 2006 2008 Road traffic safety Truck Transportation 1973 2005 2008 Truck driver Veterinary Medicine 1995 2005 2008 Veterinary medicine Water Sports 1969 2007 2008 Waterskiing Weather 1927 2006 2008 Weather Welding 2012 2012 2012 Welding Whitewater 2005 2008 Whitewater rafting Wilderness Survival 2007 2008 Wilderness, Survival skills Wood Carving 1923 2006 2008 Wood carving Woodwork 1923 2003 2008 Woodworking `` Colleges '' Merit badge colleges ( or merit badge universities ), which are also called merit badge weekends, merit badge midways, or merit badge jamborees when held at a camporee are events held where several troops or merit badge counselors come together and focus on teaching merit badges. Workbooks Into the 1990s, a number of merit badge counselors developed worksheets as a way for Scouts to document their work. Counselors could teach to a group but still verify each Scout 's progress. Today, worksheets have given way to workbooks with added graph paper, blank maps and diagrams, logs, charts, checklists, links, and other resources as needed. Merit badge workbooks are used by counselors, summer camps, and merit badge colleges. Workbooks have also been developed for ranks, Cub Scout belt loops, and Webelos activity pins. Historical program Offered only in 2010, The Historical Merit Badge program, part of the Boy Scouts of America centennial, allowed Scouts to earn the discontinued Carpentry, Pathfinding, Signalling, and Tracking ( originally called Stalking ) merit badges. The patches for these historical merit badges are distinguished by a gold ring on the outside edge. All were based on merit badges that were among the original 57 issued in 1911. See also Discontinued merit badges ( Boy Scouts of America ) History of merit badges ( Boy Scouts of America ) Original 57 merit badges ( Boy Scouts of America ) References Jump up ^ `` Merit Badges -- Boy Scouts of America ''. www.scouting.org. Jump up ^ `` Merit Badge Day - MeritBadgeDotOrg ''. meritbadge.org. Jump up ^ `` USSSP : Merit Badges ''. www.usscouts.org. Jump up ^ `` Eagle Rank Requirements '' ( PDF ). scouting.org. Jump up ^ `` Merit Badge Requirements ''. US Scouts.org Advancement section. Retrieved February 9, 2006. Jump up ^ `` Boy Scouts of America Introduces Animation Merit Badge ''. PR Newswire. Retrieved 19 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` Boy Scouts and Lemelson - MIT Program introduce Inventing merit badge ''. Scouting. June 17, 2010. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Merit Badge Requirements ''. www.usscouts.org. Jump up ^ `` Historical merit badges help Boy Scouts celebrate Scouting 's past ''. Scouting. Boy Scouts of America. January 12, 2010. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2010. Jump up ^ `` Historic Signaling Merit Badge ''. www.usscouts.org. Sources `` Merit Badge Library ''. Boy Scout Requirements. Boy Scouts of America. June 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2007. `` Current Merit Badge Pamphlet and Merit Badge Requirement Revision Dates ''. U.S. Scouting Service Project. June 5, 2007. Archived from the original on 2000 - 10 - 03. Retrieved June 6, 2007. Steve Henning ( July 20, 1999 ). `` Merit Badges, Past and Present ''. Henning 's Scouters ' Pages. Retrieved June 6, 2007. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Merit badge ( Boy Scouts of America ). `` Introduction to Merit Badges ''. Boy Scouts of America. `` MeritBadge.org ''. `` Merit Badges ''. U.S. Scouting Service Project. `` IEEE emeritbadges.org ''. IEEE. `` Merit Badge reference ''. Trail To Eagle. 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Question: how many merit badges do you need for eagle scout
Answer: 21