Louisiana Board of Professional Geoscientists
GEOSCIENTIST-IN-TRAINING CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS

Geoscientist-In-Training Certificate Requirements

To be eligible for a Geoscientist-in-Training (GIT) certification, an applicant must submit of the following to the board:

  1. A completed application;
  2. Documentation of having passed an examination of the fundamentals of geology administered by the National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG) (a request for waiver from examination will not be considered);
  3. One reference of support attesting to the individual's ethical character; 
  4. Official academic transcript as confirmation of meeting the educational requirements as follows:
    Graduated from, or in the senior year of, a course of study in a discipline of geoscience satisfactory to the board that consists of at least four years of study and includes at least thirty semester hours or forty-five quarter hours of credit in geoscience, of which at least twenty semester hours or thirty quarter hours of credit must be in upper-level college courses;
  5. The application/first year certification fee of $100.00.

STEPS TO APPLY FOR A GIT CERTIFICATE

The steps to follow as you apply for the Geoscientist-in-Training (GIT) Certificate are:

  1. Read the GIT certification requirements found at www.lbopg.org by clicking on the "About" tab at the top and scrolling down to "GIT Certification Requirements." If you meet these requirements, then you should:
  2.  Create an account through the “Apply for License” page, and fill out the online form. Fill in the GIT Certification application at www.lbopg.org. This application is the same one used to apply for a PG license, but you will select the field stating that you are applying for a GIT certificate.
  3.  Submit one letter of reference. The reference is also completed online, as you will see as you fill in your application.
  4.  Have all universities from which you received (or will receive) geoscience degrees submit transcripts to the LBOPG office at 9643 Brookline Ave., Ste. 101, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Alternatively, institutions can send electronic transcripts to apply.org or through any secure electronic transcript delivery service. You can make the requests for transcripts after your junior year in college. You do not need to wait until graduation.
  5.  When the application is complete, send your payment of $100 for GIT certification to LBOPG, 9643 Brookline Ave., Ste. 101, Baton Rouge, LA 70809, with a note that you are applying for GIT certification. Alternatively, you can pay online from the LBOPG.org website by selecting "Pay Online" and following the instructions from there. A $5 convenience is charged for online payments.    
  6.  Apply for the ASBOG Fundamentals of Geology Exam through the LBOPG office. Once the LBOPG Licensing Application Review Committee verifies you to take the ASBOG Fundamentals of Geology exam, you will be sent ASBOG’s “Geology Examination Candidate Request Form” that you must, in turn, send to ASBOG with your testing fees. 
  7. Fill in the LBOPG Proctoring/Verification form found at www.lbopg.org by clicking on the "Resources" tab at the top and scrolling down to "ASBOG;" sign it and submit it with the proctoring fee of $25.00.

Upon completing the application process and paying the $100 application fee, successfully passing the Fundamentals of Geology Exam, and graduating from a course of study in a discipline of geoscience,* the LBOPG Board will vote to approve your application for Geoscientist-in-Training.

With five years of accepted geoscience work experience, you may then apply for the ASBOG Practice of Geology Exam. If you have a Masters or Doctoral degree, you may substitute education for up to two years of work experience.

*Note: the undergraduate course of study should consist of at least four years of study and include at least thirty semester hours or forty-five quarter hours of credit in geoscience, of which at least twenty semester hours or thirty quarter hours of credit must be in upper-level college courses.