Merit badge

A Merit badge is an award earned by youth members of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), based on things within an area of study by finishing a list of periodically updated requirements. The purpose of the merit badge program is to allow Scouts to find subjects to figure out if they would like to further pursue them as a career or . At first, the program also exposed Scouts to the life skills of contacting an Merit Badge Counselor they had not met before, arranging a meeting and then showing the Merit Badge Counselor their skills, kind of like to a job or college interview.

Merit badges are an important part of earning the high ranks in Scouting (Star, Life, and Eagle).  Eagle requires earning 21 merit badges, including 12 in specific areas such as camping, first aid, and citizenship; Life requires eleven and Star six.

At first, there were fifty-seven merit badges; today, there are 122.

Merit badges are also used as ways to move up in Scouting in other countries, such as Ireland.

List of Merit Badges
The following is a list of Boy Scout merit badges.  Merit badge that are required for Eagle are in italics

American Business
American Cultures
American Heritage
American Labor
Animal Science
Archaeology
Archery
Architecture
Art
Astronomy
Athletics
Automotive Maintenance
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
Geocaching
Geology
Golf
Graphic Arts
Hiking
Home Repairs
Horsemanship
Indian Lore
Insect Study
Inventing
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
Robotics
Rowing
Safety
Salesmanship
Scholarship
Scouting Heritage
Scuba diving
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

For 2010 Only
Carpentry
Pathfinding
Signaling
Tracking

Category:Scouting