Does state provide a license: Yes
Current Active Licensees
| Title | Licensees |
|---|---|
| Registered Professional Geologist | 536 |
| Registered Professional Geologist In Training | 35 |
License: Registered Professional Geologist
Exam Entity: ASBOG
Licensing Board: Mississippi State Board of Registered Professional Geologists
Licensing Board Website: https://www.msbrpg.ms.gov/Pages/default.aspx
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 satisfactory to the board from an accredited college or university, or from a program accredited by an organization recognized by the board, of four (4) or more years and which includes at least thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter hours of credit, with a major in geology or a geological specialty.
Education Notes: See the state regulations for a complete explanation of the education requirements for licensure.
Years of experience required: 4
Experience credits needed: 2
Experience information: The board may give credit for a Master’s degree in the geological sciences or in a specialty as one (1)year of professional experience and an earned doctorate degree in the geological sciences or in a specialty as two (2)years of professional experience. The board shall not give more than two (2) years of professional experience creditfor the completion of all graduate degrees.
Continuing education requirements: other
Ethics required for continuing education: Yes
Continuing education years: 12
Continuing education details: Mississippi has a voluntary continuing education program. The Board of Registered Professional Geologists recommends that every registrant meet the continuing professional competency requirements. Every Registered Professional Geologist participating in the Voluntary Continuing Education Program is required to obtain 12 PDH units per year or 24 PDH units per biennal license renewal period. Every registrantis requiredto obtainat least 1 PDH unitof ethics training during the renewal period year.
Geologist in Training license available: Yes
Can take Fundamentals of Geology test before graduation: Yes
Fundamentals of Geology test details: The applicant must have completed 30 semester hours (or 45 quarter hours) of geology or geology -related courses acceptable to the Board and is currently enrolled in an advanced geology degree program with an acceptable college or university. Mississippi was the first state in the U.S. to use the Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG) Fundamentals of Geology (FG) examination as an exit exam for senior-level geology majors at all of the state’s universities and colleges that offer degrees in geology. Currently all state universities under the agency “Institutions of Higher Learning” (IHL) require that the exam be taken before a degree in geology will be conferred.
Legal Code Reference for GIT, FG: Mississippi Rules and Regulations, Part 1101 Rule 8.2, and Board website
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: No
Sunset regulation name: See sunset history
Sunset statute: See sunset history
Sunset statute reference: See sunset history
Sunset committee: See sunset history
Composition of sunset committee: See sunset history
Sunset committee website: See sunset history
Sunset duration: See sunset history
Sunset notes: Previously Board was set to terminate in 2009 but termination statute repealed in 2006 by SB2913.
Auditor name: Mississippi Office of the State Auditor
Auditor website: http://www.osa.state.ms.us/
Audit statute: MIssissippi Code, Title 7. Executive Department, Chapter 7. State Fiscal Officer, Article 3. Department of Audit
Audit Statute abbreviation: MIssissippi Code, Title 7. Executive Department, Chapter 7. State Fiscal Officer, Article 3. Department of Audit Section 41-5A-1
Audit statute link: https://www.peer.ms.gov/Pages/Statute.aspx
Audit legislation committee: Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER)
Audit legislation committee website: https://www.peer.ms.gov/Pages/default.aspx
Audit reference: 2018 Limited Internal Control and Compliance Review Management Report, Mississippi State Board of Geologists
Audit reference website: http://www.osa.state.ms.us/documents/Compliance/2017/17comGeologists,%20Board%20of%20Registered%20Professional.pdf
| Year | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Sunset law created | The Mississippi Agency Review Law of 1978 was created by Senate Bill (SB) SB 2310 unser MS Code Annotated §5-9-1. The Governor vetoed the bill. |
| 1979 | Sunset law created | The Mississippi legislature overrode the Governor’s veto and the Mississippi Agency Review Law of 1978 was formally adopted. |
| 1979 | Sunset law amended | The Mississippi sunset law was amended. Sections § 5-9-1 through 5-9-11, and §5-9-15 through 5-9-35 were repealed by Laws 1979, Ch. 301, effective 12/31/1984. |
| 1984 | Sunset law repealed | The Mississippi Agency Review Law of 1978 was no longer in effect, effectively repealed. |
| 1997 | Practice regulation | The Geologist Practice Act was created. |
| 2006 | Sunset law repealed | The repealer provision for Professional Geologists was removed as of 7/1/2006 by SB 2913. |
| 2018 | Audit | The Mississippi State Board of Registered Professional Geologists was audited by the Office of the State Auditor in a Limited Internal Control and Compliance Review Management Report. There were several findings. |