Does state provide a license: Yes
Current Active Licensees
| Title | Licensees |
|---|---|
| Geologist | 566 |
| Temporary Geologist | 1 |
License: Professional Geologist
Exam Entity: ASBOG
Licensing Board: Board of Professional Geologists
Licensing Board Website: https://www.oplc.nh.gov/geologists/
Degree required:
Majors accepted:
Courses required:
Courses accepted:
Geology credits required: 30
Credit information: The applicant must have thirty (30) credit hours or forty-five (45) quarter hours in geology from an accredited four-year college.
Education Notes: See the state regulations for a complete explanation of the education requirements for licensure.
Years of experience required: 5
Experience credits needed: 2
Experience information: At least 3 years must have been under the supervision of a licensed professional geologist or a geologist who otherwise meets the requirements of a licensed professional geologist as determined by the board. A completed academic year of graduate study in geology may be applied either towards a year of the experience requirement of this section up to a total maximum of 2 years, or to the education requirement of this section, but not both. A completed academic year of college or graduate level teaching in geology may be applied towards a year of the experience requirement of this section.
Continuing education requirements: Yes
Ethics required for continuing education: No
Continuing education years: 12
Continuing education details: Twenty-four (24) hours are required per bienniel renewal period. Ethics hours are not required but are considered as acceptable CEU.
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: New Hampshire Administrative Rules CHAPTER Geo 100, and RSA 310-A
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: Possible
Sunset statute: See audit and sunset history
Sunset statute reference: See audit and sunset history
Sunset committee: See audit and sunset history
Composition of sunset committee: See audit and sunset history
Sunset committee website: See audit and sunset history
Sunset duration: See audit and sunset history
Auditor name: Office of Legislative Budget Assistant
Auditor website: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/lba/
Audit statute: NH Revised Statutes Annotated, Title I. The State and Its Government, Chapter 14. Legislative Officers and Proceedings, Section 14:31. Office of Legislative Budget Assistant; General Duties
Audit Statute abbreviation: NH Revised Statutes Annotated, Title I. The State and Its Government, Chapter 14. Legislative Officers and Proceedings, Section 14:31. Office of Legislative Budget Assistant; General Duties Section 41-5A-1
Audit statute link: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/rsa/html/NHTOC/NHTOC-I-14.htm
Audit duration: The authority of the legislative budget assistant to conduct post-audits on non-state agencies shall be limited to 5 entities in a 5-year period. Such committee shall, at least once every 10 years, consider the necessity of the review, pursuant to this paragraph, of each department, board, institution, commission, agency, political subdivision, and entity authorized to expend state funds.
Audit legislation committee: Performance Audit Oversight Committee
Audit legislation committee website: http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/LBA/audit/performanceAudit_oversight.aspx
Audit notes: No audits for the board identified for years 1984 through2019 on auditors website.
| Year | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | The Office of Legislative Budget Assistant (LBA) was created. | |
| 1977 | Sunset law created | The New Hampshire Sunset Act was created under NH Revised Statutes Title I Chapter 17, Section 17-G. The Joint Legislative Committee on Review of Agencies and Programs was created under NH Revised Statutes Title I Chapter 17-F. |
| 1987 | Sunset law repealed | The New Hampshire Sunset Act, and the Joint Legislative Committee on Review of Agencies and Programs were repealed. |
| 1987 | Sunset law created | The Legislative Performance Audit and Oversight law was created under NH Revised Statutes, Title I, Chapter 17-N. |
| 2000 | Practice regulation | The New Hampshire Board of Professional Geologists was created. |
| 2016 | Sunset law amended | The Legislative Performance Audit and Oversight law was amended. |