Merit badges, badges of rank, and Eagle Palms may be earned by a registered Scout or a qualified Venturer or Sea Scout. If you are a Scout that intends to earn … Continue reading → Don’t worry about it. It’ll become the 14th Eagle-required merit badge, displacing one of the electives. For Eagle, only 12 of the 15 Eagle Required Merit Badges are required. Return to top. This numbering scheme was adopted in 1987 and the Eagle required merit badges had numbers 1 through 14. I would guess that, prior to 1972, Lifesaving probably stopped more Scouts from earning Eagle than any other merit badge. Undoubtedly making Swimming and Lifesaving optional has increased the number of Eagles since 1972. For an overview of the BSA Merit Badge Program, read the BSA Introduction to Merit Badges. Only one of Emergency Prep* or Lifesaving* is required, and only one of Swimming**, Hiking** or Cycling** is required. The Life Scout requirements were identical, except that the Scout had to earn 10 merit badges (including the badges long associated with this rank). That means only 8 of the 21 merit badges are elective. You may wear only the proper combination of Palms for the number of merit badges you earned beyond the rank of Eagle. Of the 21 merit badges that a Scout must earn before achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, 13 are required. Finally, the Eagle Scout Award required a full year’s service as a First Class Scout, along with a total of 21 merit badges as before. So a new Eagle Scout who has 31 merit badges would be eligible to receive a Gold Palm, representing 10 badges beyond the 21 required for the rank. Scouts may earn these awards until their 18th birthday. Please note that 21 total merit badges must have been earned for the Eagle Scout rank, except from 1972-1979, when 24 were needed. He also had to earn five merit badges of his choosing. Some Scouts earn way more merit badges than the 21 required for Eagle. Since 1972 both merit badges have been optional, with alternate choices for those who didn't want to do the aquatic requirements. Numbers 120 and up were added after the list was created in 1987. Troop 30 now encourages that each Scout go outside the troop counselor list to find a merit badge And effective with Eagle boards of review held on or after May 1, 2021, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion merit badge will be required to earn the rank. A handful even earn every available merit badge. The BSA has never added a requirement to advancement like this and not given a grace period to those it could affect the most. New Eagle Scouts can receive, along with the Eagle medal, Palms that equate to the number of additional merit badges they earned before the Eagle board of review (not before the Eagle court of honor). For example, when Cooking merit badge became Eagle Scout-required, it was announced over a year before it took effect. Merit badges are displayed on a sash which can be worn with the Boy Scout uniform on formal occasions. Every year the National Council reviews and updates a certain number of merit badges. Education in diversity and inclusion isn’t just for the Scouts. Here is a list of the Merit Badges that have been required to earn the Eagle Scout rank since 1912. The patches for the Eagle-required merit badges are distinguishable by the silver ring on the outside edge. While an Eagle Scout, participate in a Scoutmaster conference. The Bronze Palm represents five merit badges, the Gold Palm 10, and the Silver Palm 15.