If you are currently in college, taking courses and studying with the goal of becoming an Applied Geologist, your instructors may or may not be preparing you toward becoming licensed as a Professional Geologist (P.G.). Since licensure is not required for academia to teach geosciences, not all professors and faculty are familiar with the licensing requirements that you, as an Applied Geologist in a consulting, industry or governmental capacity, will need to attain.

Not every state in the United States requires a professional geology license to practice Applied Geology, but most do.    Other countries may have different licensure requirements, or offer reciprocity; however, being licensed demonstrates competence in your field.

Most employers will expect or require their practicing geologists to be licensed for any positions beyond the most entry-level positions. Noting on your resume a licensure statement, even in states without geologic licensure, will place you well ahead of candidates that have not done so to your level. The order of preference of licensure is: highest, having attained P.G. licensure in any state; moderate, having passed the Fundamentals Exam for licensure, which may be used for taking the Practice Exam in most other states; and, lowest, having been accepted to take the next Fundamentals Exam.

Noting your licensure/certification status on your resume will give you a competitive edge when applying for a job.  Most consulting firms consider licensure/certification an enhancement to your professional credentials and will want to include this information on resumes that are included in their competitive proposals.

Why is Professional Geologist licensure required?

Much of the work you will be tasked to do as an Applied Geologist affects the health, safety and welfare of the public and the environment. Your work also has enormous economic repercussions with regards to the feasibility of environmental & engineering geology projects. Work done, and recommendations made by, underqualified and inexperienced geoscientists can lead to cost overruns and public safety hazards. Some examples of the types of work you might be doing as an Applied Geologist that would necessitate rigorous standards: 

• Ground water quality or quantity investigations;
• Bedrock and surficial sediment mapping used in the planning, design, construction and rehabilitation of buildings, dams, infrastructure and other physical structures;
• Geomorphological mapping of land subsidence and ground failure;
• Mapping, analysis, risk determination, and designing corrections of varied geologic and natural hazards (including but not limited to earthquakes, landslides, karst, stream bank and coastal erosion, wild fires, …) for land-use planning, public notification, and remediation; 
• Testing, analysis, removal and/or remedial designs and actions, and monitoring of the fate, transport and remainder of environmental contaminants;
• Geophysical measurements used in various environmental or engineering investigations; and,
• Ground vibration analysis in association with earthquakes, blasting, structural demolition, and pile driving.

Which states require Professional Geologist licensure?

Thirty-one states and one US territory (Puerto Rico) now have registration, licensure, or certification laws: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.  Three states, Washington, Oregon, and California, offer specialty licenses to practice Engineering Geology.  Washington and California also offer specialty licensure to practice Hydrogeology. 

The National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG)  oversees the standards and testing for Professional Geologist licensure. ASBOG does not actually license or register geologists, but they provide the examination materials that are required by ASBOG member states. A number of AEG members have contributed their expertise to improve the ASBOG examinations materials.  To become licensed/registered, you must apply to the regulatory agency in the state in which you practice.  A specialty licensure exam may be taken in those states where offered following licensure as a Geologist.