Does state provide a license: Yes
Current Active Licensees
| Title | Licensees |
|---|---|
| Professional Geologist | 1127 |
License: Licensed Professional Geologist
Exam Entity: ASBOG
Licensing Board: The Indiana Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists
Licensing Board Website: https://igws.indiana.edu/LPG/
Degree required:
Majors accepted:
Courses required:
Courses accepted:
Geology credits required: 30
Credit information: Successful completion of at least thirty (30) semester hours or forty-five (45) quarter hours of course work in geology. At the discretion of the board, courses dealing with applied geological science that are given under the auspices of an academic department other than geology may be considered toward the fulfillment of this requirement.
Education Notes: See the state regulations for a complete explanation of the education requirements for licensure.
Years of experience required: 7
Experience credits needed: 3
Experience information: Experience in professional geological work consisting of one of the following: (A) Five (5) years of teaching geology as a faculty member at the college or university level; (B) Five (5) years of geological research by an applicant at the college or university level; (C) Five (5) years of geological work performed under the supervision of, or in collaboration with, a licensed professional geologist; (D) Seven (7) years of geological work that is acceptable to the board. In counting years of experience, the board may give one (1) year of credit each for a Master’s degree or doctoral degree in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, geological engineering, or geotechnical engineering.
Continuing education requirements: No
Continuing education details: Indiana Administrative Code (IAC) Title 305 Section 1-5-9 comments on continuing education. It states that licensed professional geologist should strive to improve professional knowledge and skills and work toward the advancement of geological education, research, training, and practice.
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: IC 25-17.6-4-1 Course work; experience; passing score on examination
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: Possible
License subject to audit review: No
Sunset regulation name: Evaluation of Regulated Occupations
Sunset statute: Indiana Code, Title 25. Professions and Occupations, Article 1. General Provisions, Chapter 16. Evaluation of Regulated Occupations
Sunset statute reference: http://iga.in.gov/legislative/laws/2019/ic/titles/025#25-1-16
Sunset committee: Indiana Professional Licensing Agency
Sunset duration: At least every five (5) years
Sunset notes: (1) Recent attempts to weaken geologist license by 2019 HB 1271. See history timeline for more details. (2) Board of Professional Geologists is not listed on the Professional Licensing Agency, list of proffessions website.The Board is listed under the Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana Geological & Water Survey. (3) Several previous attempts for bills that would eliminate or weaken Licensing laws. (4) Current regulations are easily to understand.
Other sunset references: The Sunset laws and Sunset committees have a robust history of amendments, repeals and recreation. Previous Sunset laws: IC 4-26-3 Evaluation and Termination of Agencies and Programs from 1979 to 1991. This law was repealed by P.L.11-1993, SEC.9 , eff. Apr. 30, 1993. See history timeline for more details.
Auditor name: Auditor of State
Auditor website: https://www.in.gov/auditor/
| Year | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Legislative bill | House Bill (HB) HB 2181 and HB 1763 were submitted to create a sunset law. |
| 1978 | Sunset law created | The Evaluation and Termination of Agencies and Programs law was created by S. Enr. Act No. 43 under Indiana Code Annotated Chapter 4-26-3-1. |
| 1993 | Sunset law repealed | The Evaluation and Termination of Agencies and Programs law was repealed by P.L. 11-1993 Sec. 9; eff. Apr. 30, 1993. |
| 1996 | Practice regulation | The Indiana Board of Licensure for Professional Geologists was created by P.L.161-1996. |
| 1999 | ASBOG | The first ASBOG exam was administered. |
| 2010 | Sunset law created | The Evaluation of Regulated Occupations law was created by P.L. 84-2010 Sec. 19 underIC 25-1-16. |
| 2013 | Legislative bill | Senate Bill (SB) SB 520 was introduced to create the Eliminate, Reduce, and Streamline Employee Regulation (ERASER) Committee. Geologists and soil scientists were on the list. SB 520 was referred to committee on Select Committee on Government Reduction. |
| 2014 | The Job Creation Committee (JCC) began a five year review of dozens of occupations and their licensing requirements. | |
| 2015 | Sunset review | The JCC pushed to eliminate licensure requirements for engineers and geologists. |
| 2017 | Legislative bill | SB 114 eliminated the JCC, and transferred the duties of the JCC to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA). Effective 7/1/2017. |
| 2018 | Legislative bill | HB 1245 - Cannot use nonspecific tersm such as “good character” and loosens requirements for criminal convictions. (IC 25-1-1.1-6) |
| 2019 | Legislative bill | HB 1271 was the Consumer Choice Bill, which died upon adjournment. The bill proposed to allow any person to practice any occupation without a license, as long as the person discloses to the consumer that he is unlicensed, before entering into an agreement with the consumer. |