Wyoming

General Information on Wyoming Professional Geologist Licenses

Does state provide a license: Yes

Current Active Licensees

Title Licensees
Professional Geologist 173
Geologist In Training 57

License: Professional Geologist

Exam Entity: ASBOG

Licensing Board: Wyoming Board of Professional Geologists

Licensing Board Website: https://wbpg.wyo.gov/

Continuing Education and Experience

Degree required:

Minimum degree level required to licensure as specified by the state regulations. ‘Other’ indicates that minimum education requirements must be met that are considered equivalent to a college degree, or minimum experience requirements must be met. See notes and applicable state laws and regulations for complete information.

  • Bachelor’s Degree

Majors accepted:

Majors defined in the state regulations as acceptable to obtain a professional geologist or geoscientist license, or for the specified environmental professional license in states without a PG license.

  • Geology

Courses required:

  • Other

Courses accepted:

  • Paleontology
  • Environmental Geology
  • Structural Geology
  • Geomorphology
  • Geophysics
  • Economic Geology
  • Petrology
  • Geochemistry
  • Sedimentology
  • Stratigraphy
  • Hydrogeology
  • Engineering Geology
  • Mineralogy
  • Field Geology

Geology credits required: 30

Minimum number of semester hours in relevant course work required for licensure. Thirty (30) semester hours = forty-five (45) quarter hours; twenty-four (24) semester hours = thirty-six (36) quarter hours.

Credit information: Geologic course work required to qualify as a geologist" includes a minimum of thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter hours in geology course work at an accredited institution of higher education approved by the Board. At least twenty-our (24) of the semester hours or thirty-six (36) of the quarter hours in geology shall be in at least five (5) of the following subject areas:economic geology, engineering geology, environmental geology, field geology, geochemistry, geomorphology, geophysics, hydrogeology, mineralogy, paleontology, petrology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, or structural 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: 0

Experience information: Four (4) years of experience post Bachelor’s degree are required.

Continuing education requirements: No

Geologist in Training license available: Yes

Can take Fundamentals of Geology test before graduation: Yes

Fundamentals of Geology test details: The rules, regulations and board website do not specifically address taking the FG examination before degree completion. The regulations state that ““Geologist”” means a person who is a graduate of an institution of higher education that is accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency, with a minimum of thirty (30) semester or forty-five (45) quarter hours of course work in geology.

Legal Code Reference for GIT, FG: 33-41-102 Definitions

Sunset and Audit Legislation Information

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

Sunset regulation name: None identified

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: Department of Audit, Division of Public Funds

Auditor website: http://publicfunds.wyo.gov/public/state-agencies

Audit statute: Wyoming Statutes, Title 9. Administration of the Government, Chapter 1. State Officers, Article 5. Director of the State Department of Audits

Audit Statute abbreviation: Wyoming Statutes, Title 9. Administration of the Government, Chapter 1. State Officers, Article 5. Director of the State Department of Audits Section 41-5A-1

Audit statute link: http://publicfunds.wyo.gov/statutes

Audit legislation committee: Legislative Service Office (LSO), Program Evaluation Section

Audit legislation committee website: https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislature/LSOAbout

Sunset and Audit Legislation History

Year Action Notes
1979 Sunset law created The Wyoming Sunset Law was created under Statutes Title 28, Chapter 10.
1988 Sunset law repealed The sunset law was repealed.
1989 The Department of Audit was created.
1991 Practice regulation The Wyoming Geologist Practice Act was created.
1992 ASBOG The first ASBOG exam was administered.
2016 Audit An audit of the Wyoming Board of Professional Geologists was completed by the State of Wyoming, Department of audit.
2018 The Wyoming Geologist Practice Act was amended.