2013 Boy Scout Requirements - Advancement Changes

The new 2013 BOY SCOUT REQUIREMENTS book has been shipped to Scout Shops nationwide, and has started to appear on the shelves.

Here is the list from the inside front cover of the booklet identifying the ranks and merit badges that have revisions this year:

Rank requirement changes:
Second Class — requirements 3e, 3f, and 3g.
First Class — requirement 4a.
Star — requirement 5.
Life — requirement 5.
Eagle — requirements 4 and 7.
Eagle Scout rank alternative requirements

Minor merit badge requirement updates:
Astronomy (3b, 9)
Automotive Maintenance (1, 8d)
Bird Study (7b)
Chess (3)
Citizenship in the Community (3a)
Communication (1a, 1b)
Composite Materials (1)
Dog Care (10)
Emergency Preparedness (2b)
Fire Safety (7c)
Fishing (1)
Gardening (1, 3, 6)
Hiking (5, 6)
Home Repairs (1, 6b)
Law (11)
Oceanography (8b)
Orienteering (6c)
Photography (3)
Safety (6, 7)
Wilderness Survival (1)
Wood Carving (1)

New merit badges:
Kayaking
Search and Rescue

The new merit badges were, of course, released during 2012, but are listed since they weren't in the 2012 edition of the booklet.

There are notes concerning the upcoming new Sustainability and revised Cooking merit badges and the future changes to the Eagle requirements in regard to those badges.  There are also a few other changes or additions which are not listed.

All of the changes have now been incorporated into various web page and workbooks on the USSSP site http://usscouts.org. The worksheets on usscouts.org now reflect the current requirements (but the old ones are still available as well for those who already started work).

My annual summary identifying all of the changes in detail is now available at these URLs:
http://usscouts.org/advance/changes/advchanges13.asp and
http://usscouts.org/advance/docs/AdvancementChanges2013.pdf

In addition to the new book, new merit badge pamphlets for Photography, Public Speaking, and Astronomy should be in the Scout Shops in the next week or two. The pamphlets for Photography and Astronomy include the requirements changes that are in the 2013 Boy Scout Requirements Book. (There are no requirements changes for Public Speaking - just new content).

Next up - in early March - will be the new Game Design merit badge.

There will also be a few more revised merit badge pamphlets in coming months, most  (but not all) with revisions to both content and requirements.

-- Yours in Scouting,
Paul S. Wolf, PE (Ret.), FITE       mailto:pwolf@usscouts.org
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Secretary, U.S. Scouting Service Project, Inc.
http://www.usscouts.org
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