Educational Requirements

PURPOSE: This rule defines the educational requirements for a registered geologist or geologist-registrant in-training. (1) To be eligible for licensure, an applicant must have received a degree at the baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral level from a school, college, university, or other institution of higher education in the United States; which, at the time the applicant was enrolled and graduated, was accredited by a regional accrediting commission recognized by the United States Department of Education. (2) Upon request by the board, the applicant shall furnish to the board competent and substantial evidence that the college or university is accredited by a regional accrediting commission recognized by the United States Department of Education. Regional accrediting commissions acceptable to the board are as follows: (A) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools for the states of Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands; (B) New England Association of Colleges and Schools for the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont; (C) North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher Learning Commission for the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming; (D) Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges for the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington; (E) Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia; and (F) Western Association of Schools and Colleges for the states of California, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of North Marianas Islands, and the Trust Republic of the Pacific Islands. (3) A school, college, university, or other institution of higher learning outside the United States which, at the time the applicant was enrolled and graduated, shall maintain a standard of training substantially equivalent to the standards of training of those institutions accredited by one (1) of the regional accrediting commissions recognized by the United States Department of Education and acceptable to the board. (4) The applicant shall have completed at least thirty (30) semester hours or forty-five (45) quarter hours of credit in a course of study in geology, wherever it may be administratively housed. The course of study shall be clearly identified and designed to teach fundamentals of geology, including, but not limited to, the following areas of study: physical geology, earth materials, structural geology, and stratigraphy and sedimentation. The course of study shall also be designed to teach principles and practices of geology, including field camp or equivalent field study, and shall be designed to train the student to engage in the practice of geology. (A) A course of study in geology, wherever it may be administratively housed, shall be clearly identified and designed to teach fundamentals of geology, and principles and practices of geology, and shall be designed to train the student to engage in the practice of geology. (5) The following criteria shall be used by the board in evaluating the applicant’s academic credentials: (A) Credit shall be given for seminar courses only if the applicant is awarded credit and a grade for the course that appears on the transcript. It shall be the responsibility of the applicant to provide substantiation that the course was an in-depth study of geology or a branch of geologic study and work such as engineering geology, environmental geology, hydrogeology, or mineral resources. Such documentation includes, but is not limited to, course descriptions in official school catalogs, course syllabi, bulletins or other like means, or through written documentation from an appropriate school official regarding course content; (B) No credit shall be given for workshops, continuing education, work experience, or readings courses, even if credit is awarded by the educational institution and the offering appears on the transcript; (C) An independent study shall be accepted by the board only if the applicant is awarded credit and a passing grade appearing on the transcript accompanied by a letter from the appropriate school official explaining the course was an indepth study of geology or a branch of geologic study and work; (D) If an academic course title is not self-explanatory as to the content, content must be substantiated through course descriptions from official school catalogs or bulletins, course syllabi, or through written documentation from an appropriate school official; and (E) A course shall not be considered as complete or meeting any academic requirements unless the applicant’s official transcript clearly shows the course was awarded credit by the school and the applicant has received a passing grade. (6) It shall be the applicant’s burden to demonstrate his/her academic course work and training constituted a program of study in geology. The applicant shall request the school or university forward official transcripts and any other supporting evidence necessary to document the fact that these educational requirements have been met. A final determination of whether the program of study or course work which forms the basis of the applicant’s thirty (30) semester hours or forty-five (45) quarter hours of credit in a course of study in geology is within the discretion of the board including, but not limited to, whether the courses or their equivalents stated in section (4) above are present. AND INSURANCE (7) The board will review an applicant’s educational credentials upon receiving official educational transcripts directly from the college, school, or university and upon payment of a fee for an educational review. All information must be submitted to the board no later than thirty (30) days before a regularly scheduled board meeting to be reviewed at that meeting. AUTHORITY: section 256.462.3 and 256.468, RSMo Supp. 2019.* This rule originally filed as 4 CSR 145-2.020. Emergency rule filed June 29, 1995, effective July 9, 1995, expired Nov. 5, 1995. Original rule filed Sept. 28, 1995, effective May 30, 1996. Moved to 20 CSR 2145-2.020, effective Aug. 28, 2006. Amended: Filed Nov. 7, 2007, effective May 30, 2008. Amended: Filed May 22, 2013, effective Jan. 30, 2014. Amended: Filed July 26, 2019, effective Jan. 30, 2020. *Original authority: 256.462, RSMo 1994, amended 2018 and 256.468, RSMo 1994, amended 1997, 2005, 2018.