Does state provide a license: Yes
Current Active Licensees
| Title | Licensees |
|---|---|
| Geologist | 784 |
License: Professional Geologist
Exam Entity: ASBOG
Licensing Board: Board of Licensing for Professional Geologists
Licensing Board Website: https://www.idfpr.com/profs/Geology.asp
Degree required:
Majors accepted:
Courses required:
Courses accepted:
Geology credits required: 30
Credit information: The applicant must have earned a degree in geology from an accredited college or university, as established by rule, with a minimum of thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter hours of course credits in geology, of which twenty-four (24) semester or thirty-six (36) quarter hours are in upper level courses. The Department may, upon the recommendation of the Board, allow the substitution of appropriate experience as a geologist for prescribed educational requirements as established by rule. The geology curriculum shall be designed to teach fundamentals and principles and practices of geology, and shall be designed to train the student to engage in the practice of geology.
Education Notes: See the state regulations for a complete explanation of the education requirements for licensure.
Years of experience required: 4
Experience credits needed: 1
Experience information: Two (2) years of professional experience must have been gained under the supervision of an Illinois licensed professional geologist or a geologist licensed in another jurisdiction having substantially equivalent licensure requirements as Illinois. An applicant will receive one year of credit for 1500 hours of experience. A maximum of one year experience may be credited to applicants possessing a graduate degree in geology. A maximum of one year experience may be credited to full-time faculty members who teach upper level courses in a geology program that meets the criteria in Section 1252.40.
Continuing education requirements: No
Geologist in Training license available: No
Can take Fundamentals of Geology test before graduation: No
Fundamentals of Geology test details: The rules, regulations and board website do not specifically address taking the FG examination before degree completion. There is not language that is considered to be interpretable as such.
Legal Code Reference for GIT, FG: Illinois Compiled Statutes, 225 ILCS 745/50
Most registration and licensure systems include structural approaches to review both the need and operational effectiveness of the process.
Some states provide formal sunset evaluation processes for their licensure programs. Many also include a periodic audit process of the licensure program/agency, which can range from cursory financial reviews to comprehensive evaluation of program effectiveness.
The audit process is often leveraged when political pressure is applied to eliminate geologist licensure, so awareness of the history and codes for audits and sunset evaluations is critical to montioring the health of the licensure within the state.
Current modes for sunsetting evaluation: Sunset review
License subject to sunset review: Yes
License subject to audit review: No
Current law to establish new licensure board: Yes
Sunset regulation name: Regulatory Agency Sunset Act
Sunset statute: Illinois Compiled Statutes, Chapter 5. General Provisions, Statute 5 ILCS 80 Regulatory Sunset Act
Sunset statute reference: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs2.asp?ChapterID=2
Sunset committee: Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the Governor
Sunset committee website: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/budget/Pages/Sunset-Reports.asp
Sunset duration: Not to exceed 10 years
Sunset notes: Sunset Act Report for Professional Geologists were not available on the Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the Governor website. Historical reports were also not available.
Auditor name: Illinois Auditor General
Auditor website: https://www.auditor.illinois.gov/
| Year | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Sunset law created | The Regulatory Agency Sunset Act was created by P.A. 81-999 eff. 9/22/1979 under Ill Ann Statutes Chapter 27 part 1091. |
| 1996 | Practice regulation | The Professional Geologist Licensing Act was created on 7/1/1996. |
| 1998 | Sunset law amended | The Regulatory Agency Sunset Act was amended and renamed to the Regulatory Sunset Act plus other amendments (5 ILCS 80, P.A. 90-580, effective 5/21/1998). The Professional Geologist Licensing Act was not included on the list of repealers. |
| 2005 | Sunset review | HB3158 94th general assembly, PG Licensing Act extended until 1/1/2016 |
| 2015 | Sunset review | HB 1421 99th General Assembly, PG Licensing Act extended until 1/1/2026 |
| 2017 | Sunset review | SB01821 proposed to repeal the Geologist Licensing Act before 2026. |
| 2026 | Sunset review | The Illinois Board of Licensing for Professional Geologists is scheduled for sunset review. |