Merit Badges and Scouts

Merit badges are a core part of scouting.  There are over 135 merit badges that any Scout can earn throughout their time in scouting.  Merit badges are a great way for a Scout to gain a deeper knowledge or gain new experience in areas of science, technology, business, trade skills, crafts, and more.   

Merit badges are also required to be earned for rank advancement for the Star (6 total with 4 from Eagle list), Life (5 total with 3 from Eagle list), and Eagle (21 total with 14 from Eagle list).  To earn Eagle, 21 merit badges are required and 14 out of the 21 are required to come from the Eagle-required merit badge listing.   Eagle merit badges are identified with a silver border.

To help with earning merit badges, Scouting has provided these Tips and Guides as a resource.  One great tip is the list of merit badges that are the easiest to earn around the home. 

To help through earning merit badges follow these best practices.