Professional Licensure and Certification Boards- College of Arts and Sciences

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If you are in a program that you believe leads to licensure but you do not see it listed, please fill out the Potential Professional Licensure/Certification Program Reporting Form by clicking on button below:

Potential Professional Licensure/Certification Program Reporting form.

STUDENT ROLE IN PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE

Students should read all the information regarding the program in which they are interested/are about to enroll to determine if the program leads to licensure in the location that the student is located at the time the student enrolls (i.e., during the first initial semester at the time at which they pay for courses) to verify that the program leads to licensure. If you have questions regarding licensure, contact the program coordinator listed on the program page and contact the state licensing board, using the licensing information contained on the program licensure page. Keep in mind licensure approval depends on the rules and regulations in effect at the time of your licensure application. Said rules and regulations are overseen by the professional licensing board who oversees the profession.

PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE DISCLOSURE

LICENSING DISCLOSURE INFORMATION

For all programs marketed or designed as leading to licensure or certification, the following federal regulations must be complied with by institutions of higher education:

For Online Programs

34 CFR 668.14(b)(32)

All programs that lead to licensure/certification must meet the educational requirements in each state and protectorate in which any of their students are located at the time of initial enrollment or in the state in which a student attests they intend to seek employment. Students cannot be enrolled into programs if the educational requirements are not met unless they are moving to a state in which the requirements are met and execute an attestation confirming their future relocation.

For Face-to-Face Programs

Regulation- 34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v)

All programs that lead to licensure/certification must disclose whether the program meets, does not meet or if a determination cannot be made as to whether the program meets the educational requirements in each state and protectorate.

Since the program is a face-to-face program, students can be admitted even if the state in which they previously resided is a state in which the program does not meet the educational requirements for licensure/certification.

DETERMINATIONS

Determinations made by our subject matter experts (program coordinators) are made based on state licensing board rules and regulations and/or reciprocity agreements.

For information on teaching reciprocity, please see the NASDTEC website- https://www.nasdtec.net/page/InterstateAgreements

SCOPE OF PROGRAM ASSESSMENT

The information provided regarding USM programs represents an assessment of whether the educational program, if successfully completed, meets a state or protectorate’s educational requirements for licensure/certification.
USM's analysis is limited to a determination as to whether their programs meet the educational requirements for licensure.
Additional requirements may be required to obtain a license or state certification. For a list of potential additional requirements, see the Professional Licensure webpage- https://www.usm.edu/professional-licensure-certification-disclosures/index.php

ROLE OF LICENSING/CERTIFICATION BOARD

Keep in mind that final eligibility determinations as to whether a program meets the educational requirements for licensure are made by the state/protectorate licensing/certification boards.

TIMEFRAME OF DISCLOSURES

The disclosure data is current as of July 1 of each year (starting with 2024) unless the institution is apprised of a change which requires an update prior to the July 1st annual update. Federal Law requires that if an institution discovers that a program no longer leads to licensure or certification, the institution must notify the students (both enrolled and prospective) of the change directly (individual disclosure) as well as updating the webpage.

APPROPRIATE USE OF DISCLOSURE DATA

Review the information about the licensure program and then consider discussing the information with the program coordinator as well as the state licensing board.

LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS GENERALLY

Licensing boards require more than successful degree completion to obtain a license or certification and laws relating to licensure/certification may change at any time, which may affect the educational requirements for licensure/certification.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

In addition to educational requirements, the licensing boards for each of the states and the protectorates (American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Palau, Puerto Rico, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Virgin Islands) may require applicants to meet other requirements including, but not limited to, age, citizenship, examinations, clinical hours, criminal background checks, professional experience (which may require years of experience), residency, and specialized courses (not offered as part of any institutional curriculum) (i.e., History of the State, Ethics), etc.

MISSISSIPPI LICENSURE

All programs of The University of Southern Mississippi are designed to meet the licensure standards set by the Mississippi Department of Education and prepare students to sit for licensure/certification exams in Mississippi.

RECOMMENDATION

If you are considering a program at USM that leads to licensure or certification and you do not live in the State of Mississippi, it is our recommendation that you contact the appropriate state licensing agency in their state or the state where you intend to work

This will allow you to obtain the most up-to-date information about state licensure requirements before beginning any of our licensure/certification programs.

DISCLOSURE UPDATES

Due to the frequency at which requirements change, data on this page is only accurate as of the date listed below. The information contained on this page was last updated on 7/1/2024.
USM makes every effort to ensure information about educational requirements for licensure/certification are updated:annually

AND

when changes are discovered If USM discovers that a program no longer meets the licensure/certification requirements of any state or protectorate, this page will be updated.
See the original Professional Licensure Disclosure in the catalog- https://catalog.usm.edu/content.php?catoid=35&navoid=2239

GEOLOGY, BS

National Website- https://asbog.org/state_boards.html
Program Website- https://www.usm.edu/undergraduate-programs/geology.php#Geology%20BS
For questions regarding licensure, please contact Dr. Frank Heitmuller at franklin.heitmuller@usm.edu (601) 266-4729

DISCLOSURES

State/Protectorate	Determination	Determination Based on Reciprocity/State or Protectorate Requirements	Board Contact Information
Alabama	Yes	State requirements	Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists 2777 Zelda Road, Montgomery, Alabama 36106 (334) 420-7236 geology@alstateboard.com https://www.algeobd.alabama.gov/
Alaska	Yes	State requirements	Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing P.O. Box 110806, Juneau, AK 99811 (907)465-2691 ProfessionalGeologists@alaska.gov https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl/ProfessionalLicensing/ProfessionalGeologists.aspx
Arizona	Yes	State requirements	Arizona Board of Technical Registration 1110 W. Washington Street, Suite 240, Phoenix, AZ 85007 (602) 364-4930 https://btr.az.gov/contact-us https://btr.az.gov/
Arkansas	Yes	State requirements	Arkansas State Board of Registration for Professional Geologists 900 West Capitol Avenue, Suite 400, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-3108 (501) 683-0150 pgboard@arkansas.gov https://www.arpgboard.org/
California	Yes	State requirements	California Department of Consumer Affairs Board of Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists 2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 300, Sacramento, California 95833-2944 (916) 999-3600 geology@dca.ca.gov https://www.bpelsg.ca.gov/
Colorado	licensure not required	N/A	N/A
Connecticut	licensure not required Yes-For Licensed Environmental Professional	State requirements	N/A
Delaware	Yes	State requirements	Delaware Division of Professional Regulation 861 Silver Lake Blvd., Cannon Building, Suite 203, Dover, Delaware 19904-2467 (302) 744-4500 customerservice.dpr@delaware.gov https://dpr.delaware.gov/
District of Columbia (D.C.)	licensure not required	N/A	N/A
Florida	Yes	State requirements	Florida Board of Professional Geologists 2601 Blair Stone Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0783 (850) 717-1411 lina.hurtado@myfloridalicense.com http://www.myfloridalicense.com/DBPR/geologists/
Georgia	Yes	State requirements	Georgia Office of The Secretary of State Professional Licensing Board Division 237 Coliseum Drive, Macon, Georgia 31217-3858 (404) 355-4509 walker@sos.ga.gov https://sos.ga.gov/
Hawaii	licensure not required	N/A	N/A
Idaho	Yes	State requirements	Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses 11351 W. Chinden Blvd., Bldg. #6 Boise, Idaho 83714 (208) 334-3233 kim.aksamit@dopl.idaho.gov https://dopl.idaho.gov/DOPLPortal/Home.aspx
Illinois	Yes	State requirements	Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation 320 West Washington Street, 3rd Floor, PSS, Springfield, Illinois 62786 (888) 473-4858 patrick.golembeck@illinois.gov https://www.idfpr.com/
Indiana	Yes	State requirements	Indiana Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists 611 North Walnut Grove Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-2208 (812) 855-7636 inblpg@indiana.edu https://igws.indiana.edu/LPG/
Iowa	licensure not required for Geologist YES For Certified Groundwater Professional	State requirements	Iowa Department of Natural Resources 6200 Park Avenue Suite 200 Des Moines, IA 50321 515-725-8200 opcertcustomersupport@dnr.iowa.gov https://www.iowadnr.gov/Environmental-Protection/Land-Quality/Underground-Storage-Tanks/Groundwater-Professionals
Kansas	Yes	State requirements	Kansas State Board of Technical Professions Landon State Office Building 900 Southwest Jackson, Suite 507 Topeka, Kansas 66612-1257 United States (785) 296-3053 larry.g.karns@ks.gov https://www.ksbtp.ks.gov/
Kentucky	Yes	State requirements	Kentucky Board of Registration for Professional Geologists P.O. Box 1360, Frankfort, KY 40602-1360 (502) 892-4261 tammyk.sharp@ky.gov https://bpg.ky.gov/
Louisiana	Yes	State requirements	Louisiana Board of Professional Geoscientists 9643 Brookline Avenue, Suite 101 Baton Rouge, LA 70809 (225) 505-3766 apply@lbopg.org http://www.lbopg.org/
Maine	Yes	State requirements	State Board of Licensure of Geologists and Soil ScientistsDepartment of Professional/Financial Regulation 35 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333 (207) 624-8605 catherine.m.carroll@maine.gov https://www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing/
Maryland	N/A	N/A	N/A
Massachusetts	Yes for Licensed Site Professional	State requirements	N/A
Michigan	Yes	State requirements	N/A
Minnesota	Yes	State requirements	Board of AELSLAGID 85 East 7th Place, Suite 160 St. Paul, MN 55101 (651) 296-2388 https://www.mn.gov/aelslagid/staff.html https://www.mn.gov/aelslagid/
Mississippi	Yes	State requirements	Mississippi State Board of Registered Professional Geologists P. O. Box 22742 Jackson, MS 39225-2742 (601) 354-6370 geology@msbrpg.ms.gov https://www.msbrpg.ms.gov/
Missouri	Yes	State requirements	Board of Geologist Registration P. O. Box 1335 Jefferson City, MO 65109-1335 (573) 526-7625 pam.groose@pr.mo.gov https://www.pr.mo.gov/geologists.asp
Montana	licensure not required		N/A
Nebraska	Yes	State requirements	Nebraska Board of Geologists P. O. Box 94844 Lincoln, NE 68509-4844 (402) 471-8383 nebog.board@nebraska.gov https://nebog.nebraska.gov/
Nevada	licensure not required		Bureau of Mines and Geology 1664 N Virginia Street Reno, NV 86503 Phone: (775) 682-8751 Contact: jfaulds@unr.edu
New Hampshire	Yes	State requirements	Office of Professional Licensure and Certification 7 Eagle Square Concord, NH 03301 (603) 271-2152 CustomerSupport@oplc.nh.gov https://www.oplc.nh.gov/board-professional-geologists
New Jersey	YES (For Licensed Site Remediation Professional)	State requirements	New Jersey Site Remediation Professional Licensing Board PO Box 420, Mailcode 401-04 401 East State Street, 4th Floor-East Wing Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0420 (609) 984-3424 Email: SRPLBoardContact@dep.nj.gov https://www.nj.gov/lsrpboard/
New Mexico	N/A	N/A	New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources 801 Leroy Place Socorro, NM 87801-4796 (575) 835-5783 nelia.dunbar@nmt.edu http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/
New York	Yes	State requirements	NY State Education Department Office of the Professions 89 Washington Avenue Albany, New York 12234-1000 (518) 474-3817, Press 1 https://op-support.nysed.gov/hc/en-us/requests/new http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/geo/
North Carolina	Yes	State requirements	The North Carolina Board for Licensing of Geologists 3733 Benson Drive, Raleigh, NC 27609 (919) 850-9669 contact@ncblg.org https://www.ncblg.org
North Dakota	N/A	N/A	Department of Mineral Resources 1016 East Calgary Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58503 (701) 328-8020 https://www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/contact https://www.dmr.nd.gov/
Ohio	N/A	N/A	ODNR Division of Geological Survey 2045 Morse Rd., Bldg. C Columbus, OH 43229 (614) 265-6576 geo.survey@dnr.state.oh.us https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/about-ODNR/geologic-survey
Oklahoma	N/A	N/A	Oklahoma Geological Survey Sarkeys Energy Center 100 E. Boyd St., Suite N131 Norman, OK 73019 (405) 325-3031 ogs@ou.edu https://www.ou.edu/ogs https://asbog.org/state_boards.html
Oregon	Yes	State requirements	Oregon State Board of Geologist Examiners 707 13th Street SE, Suite 114 Salem, Oregon 97301 (503) 566-2837 osbge.info@bgelab.oregon.gov https://www.oregon.gov/osbge/Pages/default.aspx
Pennsylvania	Yes	State requirements	Pennsylvania Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs Penn Center, 2601 N. 3rd Street Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110 (717) 783-7049 ST-ENGINEER@pa.gov https://www.dos.pa.gov/ProfessionalLicensing/BoardsCommissions/EngineersLandSurveyorsandGeologists/Pages/default.aspx
Rhode Island	licensure not required	N/A	N/A
South Carolina	Yes	State requirements	South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation Synergy Business Park, Kingstreet Building 110 Centerview Drive Columbia, South Carolina 29201 (803) 896-4300 https://www.llr.sc.gov/aboutus/contact.aspx https://www.llr.sc.gov/geo/pub.aspx
South Dakota	Licensure not required	N/A	Geological Survey Program 414 East Clark Street Akeley-Lawrence Science Center Vermillion, SD 57069 (605) 677-5227 tim.cowman@usd.edu http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/
Tennessee	Yes	State requirements	Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance 500 James Robertson Parkway Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0565 (615) 741-2241 Ask.TDCI@TN.Gov https://www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/geologists.html
Texas	Yes	State requirements	Texas Board of Professional Geoscientists 333 Guadalupe St.,#I-530 Austin, TX 78701 (512) 936-4408 licensing@tbpg.texas.gov https://tbpg.state.tx.us/
Utah	Yes	State requirements	Utah Professional Geology 160 East 300 South - 4th floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801) 530-6628 b5@utah.gov https://dopl.utah.gov/
Vermont	Licensure not required	N/A	Department of Environmental Conservation Davis Building - 3rd Floor One National Life Drive Montpelier, VT 05620-3520 (802) 828-1556 N/A https://dec.vermont.gov/geological-survey
Virginia	Yes		Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation 9960 Mayland Drive Suite 400 Richmond VA 23233-1485 (804) 367-8514 bpssandwp@dpor.virginia.gov https://www.dpor.virginia.gov/Boards/SSWPG
Washington	Yes		Geologists Program Business and Professions Division Department of Licensing 405 Black Lake Blvd SW Olympia, WA 98502 (360) 664-1497 geologist@dol.wa.gov https://www.dol.wa.gov/business/geologist/
West Virginia	Yes for Licensed Remediation Specialist	State requirements	Department of Environmental Protection 601 57th Street SE Charleston, WV 25304 (304) 926-0499 DEPLRSProgram@wv.gov https://dep.wv.gov/dlr/oer/brownfieldsection/LRS%20Program/Pages/default.aspx
Wisconsin	Yes	State requirements	Professional Geologist Section DSPS PO Box 8366 Madison, WI 53708-8366 (608) 266-2112 dsps@wi.gov https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/BoardsCouncils/GHSS/Default.aspx
Wyoming	Yes	State requirements	Wyoming Board of Professional Geologists 2617 E. Lincolnway, Suite I, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001 (307) 742-1118 prof.geo@wyo.gov https://wbpg.wyo.gov/
American Samoa	Licensure not required	N/A	N/A
Federated States of Micronesia	Licensure not required	N/A	N/A
Guam	Licensure not required	N/A	Guam PEALS Office ITC BUILDING, 590 S. MARINE CORPS DRIVE, SUITE 511, TAMUNING, GU 96913 (671) 646-3115 PEALS@guam.gov https://www.guam-peals.org/
Northern Mariana Islands	Licensure not required	N/A	N/A
Republic of Palau	Licensure not required	N/A	N/A
Puerto Rico	Yes	Protectorate requirements	Department of State Assistant Secretary of Examination Boards Board of Examiners of Geologists P.O. Box 9023271 San Juan, PR 00902-3271 787-722-2122, Extension # 4308 or 4309 https://www.estado.pr.gov/en/geologists/
Republic of the Marshall Islands	Licensure not required	N/A	N/A
Virgin Islands	Licensure not required	N/A	N/A