Scouts may work on and complete merit badges at any time. There are more than 100 different merit badges to choose from. The most commonly earned merit badges are the badges on the Eagle-required list. Scouts do not need merit badges for ranks from Scout through First Class. Later on, scouts need six merit badges for Star, eleven merit badges for Life, and 21 merit badges for Eagle Scout.
The busiest time for earning merit badges is at summer camp. Throughout the year, there are frequent workshops and skill centers for specific merit badges, and there are occasional merit badge universities where scouts can work on multiple merit badges. However, a scout can work on a merit badge on his own at any time. The troop has counselors for nearly all of the Eagle-required merit badges, and we can easily find counselors for other merit badges in Pathfinder District or nearby.
The troop can always use more adults who are willing to serve as merit badge counselors. We encourage one parent from each active scout family to volunteer as a counselor. Speak with the advancement coordinator, committee chair, or scoutmaster about how to get started as a merit badge counselor.
When a scout decides he wants to work on a merit badge, he should ask the scoutmaster for a merit badge card, and he should ask the scoutmaster or the advancement coordinator for the name and contact information for a counselor for that merit badge. The scout should study the merit badge requirements and prepare to complete the requirements. When he is ready, he should contact the counselor to discuss how they will work together to review the scout’s work on the merit badge. Once he has completed the merit badge, the scout should return the merit badge card to the scoutmaster or the advancement coordinator. The troop then presents the merit badge at the next court of honor.
Each scout should make sure to include Eagle-required merit badges among the merit badges that he chooses. He will need some of those merit badges for Star and Life and all of them for Eagle Scout. For Eagle, a scout must earn the following merit badges:
- First Aid
- Citizenship in the Community
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Citizenship in Society
- Citizenship in the World
- Communication
- Cooking
- Personal Fitness
- Personal Management
- Camping
- Family Life
12. Choose one:
13. Choose one:
14. Choose one:
For badges 12, 13 and 14, only one of the badges listed can be used as an Eagle-required badge. If another in the same grouping is earned, it can be counted as one of the seven optional merit badges required to reach Eagle rank. For example, if a Scout earns Cycling and Hiking merit badges to fulfill his 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 the BSA mission and vision. These present concepts around citizenship, family, personal responsibility, preparedness, physical fitness, and outdoors skills.
Troop 344 