Does state provide a license: Yes
Current Active Licensees
| Title | Licensees |
|---|---|
| Geologist | 532 |
License: Professional Geologist
Exam Entity: ASBOG
Licensing Board: Kansas State Board of Technical Professionals
Licensing Board Website: https://www.ksbtp.ks.gov/professions/geologists
Degree required:
Majors accepted:
Courses required:
Courses accepted:
Geology credits required: 30
Credit information: The applicant must have graduated from a course of study in geology, or from a program which is of four (4) or more years duration and which includes at least thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter hours of credit with a major in geology or a geology specialty, that is adequate in its preparation of students for 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: Each applicant shall provide verification from the employer of at least four years of experience in the practice of geology, as defined in K.S.A. 74-7003. One year of credit toward the experience requirement may be given for a Master’s degree in geology or in a closely related specialty area acceptable to the board.
Continuing education requirements: Yes
Continuing education years: 15
Continuing education details: Thirty (30) PDH are required every two years before reneweing the license.
Geologist in Training license available: Yes
Can take Fundamentals of Geology test before graduation: Yes
Fundamentals of Geology test details: The requirements for admission to the fundamentals of geology exam shall be either senior status or completion of a geology curriculum described K.A.R. 66-9-6.
Legal Code Reference for GIT, FG: K.A.R. 66-11-1a and 66-11-4
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: Audit
License subject to sunset review: No
License subject to audit review: Yes
Current law to establish new licensure board: TBD
Sunset regulation name: See sunset history information
Sunset statute: See sunset history information
Sunset statute reference: See sunset history information
Sunset committee: See sunset history information
Composition of sunset committee: See sunset history information
Sunset committee website: See sunset history information
Sunset duration: See sunset history information
Auditor name: Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit
Auditor website: https://www.kslpa.org/
Audit statute: Kansas Governmental Operations Accountability Law (K-GOAL); Kansas Statutes, Chapter 74 - State Boards, Commissions and Authoritites, Article 72 Review of Governmental Operations; and Kansas Statutes, Chapter 75 - State Departments, Public Officers and Employees, Article 37 Department of Administration
Audit Statute abbreviation: Kansas Governmental Operations Accountability Law (K-GOAL); Kansas Statutes, Chapter 74 - State Boards, Commissions and Authoritites, Article 72 Review of Governmental Operations; and Kansas Statutes, Chapter 75 - State Departments, Public Officers and Employees, Article 37 Department of Administration Section 41-5A-1
Audit statute link: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/statute/
Audit duration: Not fewer than four performance audits each year under the Kansas Governmental Operations Accountability Law.
Audit legislation committee: Legislative Post Audit Committee
Audit legislation committee website: https://www.kslpa.org/
Audit notes: Kansas among states with least amount of professional licensed job categories.Expansion of licensure bills vetoed by Governor Brownback in 2012 (SB 353) and 2013 (SB 37)
| Year | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | The Kansas Legislature created the Legislative Division of Post Audit. | |
| 1974 | Audit | The Legislative Division of Post Audit issued a report on state soards, commissions and authorities. The audit report was an effort to identify all state boards and authorities and to determine which state agency was responsible for funding the operation of such boards, commissions and authorities. The Board of Technical Professional was not yet created, and therefore not included in the report. |
| 1976 | Practice regulation | The Board of Technical Professionals was created. Note that licensure for geologists was not included and did not occur until 1997. |
| 1978 | Sunset law created | The Kansas Sunset Law was created by House Bill (HB) HB 2976 of 1978 under Kansas Statutes Annotated §74-7201. The Board of Technical Professionals was set to abolish on 7/1/1981 under section §74-7223 of the law. |
| 1980 | Sunset review | The Board of Technical Professionals was reviewed, Sunset Audit Report r-81-43. The audit concluded that regulation of the practices of engineering, architecture, and land surveying should be continued and landscape architecture should no longer be regulated. Note that professional geologists were not licensed in Kansas at the time. |
| 1981 | Sunset law repealed | The Kansas Sunset Law was repealed by ch. 299, § 64 on July 1, 1981. |
| 1992 | Sunset law created | The Kansas Governmental Operations Accountability Law (K-GOAL) was created under §72-7283. |
| 1997 | Legislative bill | HB 2490 created the licensing of geologists starting on July 1, 2000. |
| 2000 | Practice regulation | Professional Geologists licensed under the Board of Technical Professionals. |
| 2012 | Legislative bill | Expansion of licensure bill vetoed by Governor Brownback (SB 353). |
| 2013 | Legislative bill | Expansion of licensure bill vetoed by Governor Brownback (SB 37). |