Merit badges are the second main area of the Boy Scout advancement program. Unlike ranks, there is a degree of choice in the merit badge program. A sub-group of merit badges are known as Eagle required merit badges. To earn Eagle Scout, most of these badges must be earned although some are "either/or" badges. The remainder of the badges help with earning ranks as well as Eagle Palms after the Eagle Scout award has been earned.

Boy Scouts may work on merit badges from they time they join a Scout troop until they turn 18 years old. There is no time limit for completion of merit badges other than age 18.

For advice on how to begin a merit badge, see An Introduction to Merit Badges.

Click here for the Merit Badge Worksheets.

American Business American Cultures American Heritage American Labor Animal Science Archaeology Archery Architecture Art Astronomy Athletics Auto Mechanics 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 Geology Golf Graphic Arts Hiking Home Repairs Horsemanship Indian Lore Insect Study 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 Rowing Safety Salesmanship Scholarship 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

Note: Merit badges displayed in a bold font are Eagle required merit badges.