Merit Badges

There are over 100 merit badges covering a wide variety of subjects. Of these, a Scout must earn 21 for Eagle Scout. Twelve of these 21 must come from a list of fifteen required badges. You can find more information as well as the requirements for each badge at USScouts.org.

We recommend that new Scouts work on Tenderfoot, 2nd Class and First Class before working on merit badges. The focus of the first year in the troop should be achieving the rank of 1st Class. If a Scout not yet First Class wants to work on a merit badge, he should contact the Scoutmaster. With the Scoutmaster's approval, he will be allowed to work on one merit badge. For boys that have 1st Class, up to three at a time may be approved depending on the merit badge. There are some exceptions to the above rules that will be handled as they arise.

When a Scout is ready to begin a merit badge, he needs to have the Scoutmaster sign a merit badge application, commonly called a blue card. At that time, he'll be told who the counselor is for the badge and how to make arrangements to begin working on the badge.

Once the Scout has finished all the requirements, the merit badge counselor will sign all sections of the blue card. The counselor may keep his/her portion of the blue card and return the rest to the Scout. The Scout is responsible for returning the completed blue card to the Scoutmaster for recording.

Merit Badge Universities

Who do I contact about upcoming Merit Badge Universities?

Click here to email Linda Grunke [ldgrunke@yahoo.com].

What are Merit Badge Universities?

Merit badge Universities are put on by Student Service organizations from the University of Texas area to give scouts the opportunity to earn Merit Badges. Some of the Merit Badges (MB) are rarely taught and this gives the scout an excellent opportunity to earn those MB's.

Which Merit Badge Universities does our Troop attend and when are they?

 - University of Texas at Austin is usually offered in February.

 - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offers classes in August and is located at 8140 Racine Trail adjacent to Cedar Valley Middle School

How do I signup for a Merit Badge University ?

You need to signup at a troop meeting or email the Merit Badge Coordinator Linda Grunke [ldgrunke@yahoo.com].  Review a printed handout with the merit badges offered and the cost for the MBU. You will typically need to select the top 5 MB's that you want to attend. SIGNUP EARLY. There is no guarantee that you will get the MB that you want or if you will be able to attend. However, scouts typically get what they signup for if they signup immediately.

Why is there a cost?

Fee's will cover the patch, lunch, and supplies the are needed to put on the MBU. Currently (2008), the cost at the University of Texas is $7.50 per merit badge and $20.00 for the Tenderfoot program. The August program fee's are approximately $5.00 per class and will entail two Saturday mornings.