Earn 21 merit badges

Requirement 3 represents the culmination of your merit badge career in Scouts BSA: earning a minimum of 21 total merit badges, encompassing all 13 required categories.

Comprehensive Breakdown of the 13 Eagle-Required Categories

Every candidate for Eagle Scout must complete merit badges covering the following 13 specific subjects/categories:

1. (a) First Aid : Advanced emergency assessment, CPR/AED techniques, triage, wilderness trauma care, and shock management.
2. (b) Citizenship in the Community : Local municipal government structure, attending city/town council meetings, and volunteering with local charitable organizations.
3. (c) Citizenship in the Nation : Constitutional rights and duties, branches of the federal government, national landmarks, and communications with elected national representatives.
4. (d) Citizenship in the World : International law, global treaties, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), foreign service, and world geopolitical issues.
5. (e) Communication : Public speaking, interpersonal communication, digital messaging, interviewing, and writing and delivering formal presentations.
6. (f) Cooking : Camp kitchen hygiene, nutritional meal planning for patrol and trail backpacking, cooking methods, and food safety.
7. (g) Personal Fitness : Comprehensive physical fitness assessment, nutrition, aerobic/strength training, and a 12-week (90-day) tracked physical improvement program.
8. (h) Emergency Preparedness OR Lifesaving :
   • Emergency Preparedness: Family disaster planning, community emergency response, search and rescue protocols.
   • Lifesaving: Advanced water rescue, active and passive victim towing, spinal injury management, water safety.
   • (Choose one to fulfill category h. If you earn both, the second badge counts as an optional elective).
9. (i) Environmental Science OR Sustainability :
   • Environmental Science: Ecological studies, population dynamics, pollution monitoring, biodiversity, and outdoor lab experiments.
   • Sustainability: Resource conservation, waste reduction, carbon footprint analysis, sustainable community planning.
   • (Choose one to fulfill category i. If you earn both, the second badge counts as an optional elective).
10. (j) Personal Management : Personal financial literacy, understanding investments, insurance, career planning, and maintaining a 13-week detailed financial budget.
11. (k) Swimming OR Hiking OR Cycling :
    • Swimming: Water survival strokes, endurance swims, diving, water safety.
    • Hiking: Completing four 10-mile hikes and one continuous 20-mile hike.
    • Cycling: Road safety, bicycle maintenance, and completing two 10-mile, two 15-mile, two 25-mile, and one continuous 50-mile bike ride.
    • (Choose one to fulfill category k. If you earn more than one, the additional badges count as optional electives).
12. (l) Camping : Low-impact outdoor living, wilderness campcraft, campsite planning, and completing at least 20 days and nights of scout camping.
13. (m) Family Life : Family communication, roles, home safety, family projects, and a 90-day tracking of personal and family household responsibilities.

Optional Merit Badges (8 Electives)

To reach the required 21 total merit badges:

• 13 badges must satisfy the specific categories listed above.
• The remaining 8 merit badges may be any elective merit badges of your choice.
• Any “alternate” badges earned from categories h, i, or k (for example, earning both Lifesaving and Emergency Preparedness, or both Swimming and Hiking) automatically count toward your 8 optional merit badges.

Auditing and Recording Your Badges

Before completing your Eagle Scout Rank Application, perform a meticulous audit of your merit badge records: