LICENSING RESOURCES
Geologists do much more than study rocks. A geologist gathers and interprets data about the Earth and uses that knowledge to improve the quality of human life. They help find and develop our natural resources such as drinking water, minerals, and oil and gas in ways that safeguard the environment. Geologists provide critical information to protect us from natural and man-made hazards including earthquakes, landslides, flooding, and chemical spills – all of which have dominated the recent headlines in New York State.
Do all Geologists need to be licensed? (click to expand)
You will need to be licensed if you are or want to become…-
-An owner, officer, etc. of firms offering geological services;
-An individual providing professional geological services; or
-Future New York State officers and employees of a certain grade.
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-Are an employee working under a Professional Geologist;
-Are an employee of a firm offering engineering services (firm cannot offer or advertise geologic services); or
-Were a current state official and employee became effective in 2016.
What Industries Do Professional Geologists Serve?
-Natural Resource Exploration and Extraction (Oil, Gas, Mining)
-Environmental Engineering, Remediation and Consulting
-Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
-Civil Engineering and Construction
-Waste Management
-Soil Management
-Land and Water Resources
-Nuclear Research
-Academia
-Natural Hazard Management
-Oceanography
-Local and regional planning organizations
-State-level geological surveys
-Transportation industry
-Government Agencies
-United States Geological Survey (USGS)
-United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
-NASA
-New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC)
-Division of Environmental Remediation
-Division of Materials Management
-Division of Mineral Resources
-Division of Water
-New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)
-Geotechnical Engineering Bureau
-Materials Engineering Bureau
-New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH)
-Division of Environmental Health Assessment
-Division of Environmental Health Protection
-National Park Service (NPS)
WHY GET LICENSED?
Licensure is the mark of a professional. It’s a standard recognized by employers and their clients, by governments, and by the public as a dedication to the skill and quality of services provided. New York licenses over 50 professions with five considered as Design Professions (Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, Geology, and Land Surveying).
Additionally:
Required in New York State
A person representing themself as a geologist and providing geologic services must be licensed to do so in New York or work under another PG.
Denotes a Specialization in Geology
Only a licensed geologist may prepare, sign, seal and submit geologic reports or documents to any public authority for approval, or seal geologic work for public and private
clients.
Demonstrates Basic Competence in Geology
The regulation of the geology profession by licensure provides a higher standard of work than without licensure. The PG candidate has had to prove sufficient education
requirements and pass two qualifying exams to become licensed.
Career Advancement
Acquiring a PG license allows a geologist to grow within the industry and shows a commitment to the profession and being a leader. A PG license is required to be able to
sign and seal geologic documents and be in responsible charge of a firm or manage additional geologists. PGs can also serve as fully qualified expert witnesses and
represent clients for regulatory hearings and adjudications.
Commitment to Continuing Education
Professional Geologists must continue to demonstrate their competency and improve their skills by fulfilling continuing education requirements as regulated by the State
of New York.
Career Flexibility
The PG license allows a geologist to represent themself as a specialist in the field, own their own firms, or manage geology divisions of companies.
HOW TO GET LICENSED
A professional geology license is the authorization to practice and use the title of Professional Geologist in New York State. The license is valid for life unless it is revoked, annulled, or suspended by the NYS Education Department. To practice in New York with the license, a professional geologist must also be actively registered with the Department. A licensee is automatically registered for the first three-year registration period when the license is issued. The Education Department will subsequently send renewal information to the name and address they have on file for you prior to the date the registration expires.
Any use of the title "Professional Geologist" or provision of geological services within New York State requires licensure, except in certain "exempt" settings. These settings are detailed in Section 7208-a of the Education Law and are detailed at the bottom of this page.
Qualifying for the License
To be licensed as a professional Geologist in New York State an applicant must:-
-Be of good moral character;
-Be at least 21 years of age;
-Meet education, examination, and experience requirements;
-Submit an application for licensure with the needed forms indicated, along with the appropriate fee; and
-Successfully pass the ASBOG Fundementals of Geology Exam (FG) and the Principles of Geology Exam (PG).
Licensure through Endorsement
New York State does not have a reciprocity/comity agreement with any other states offering licensure. An applicant who is licensed in another state may be eligible for licensure in New York State via endorsement if they meet all the requirements for licensure in New York State.Under this provision, an applicant:
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-Is currently licensed in another jurisdiction;
-Has taken and passed the Fundemntals of Geology and Practice of Geology licensure examinations; and
-Meets the education and/ or experience requirements established in Part 68 of the Regulations of the Comissioner. These requirements consist of 4 pathways and are identified on the table;
Education & Experience Requirements
An applicant must complete a combination of education and/or experience for which years of credit are awarded to become licensed as a professional geologist in New York State. The education credit determines the number of years of work experience that you will need in order to be approved for licensure as described below and as shown in this table.-
-Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in Geosciences and a minimum of five (5) years of practical experience;
-Master of Art or Master of Science degree in geosciences and a minimum of four (4) years of practical experience;or
-A minimum of twelve (12) years of practical experience with no education.
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-Six (6) semester hours in mathematics beyond college algebra or trigonometry
-Fifteen (15) semester hours in a combination of at least two of the following sciences:
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-Physics
-Chemistry
-Biology
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-Earth Materials
-Sedimentary Geology
-Geotechnology
-Surficial and Near-surface Geology
-Hydrogeology
-Geodynamics and Geophysics
-Economic Geology
Examination Requirements
New York State has adopted the National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG®) Exam.
The exam has 2 parts (below), each part takes 4 hours and is multiple choice.
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Fundamentals of Geology (FG): Consists of 140 questions. It is recommended to take this exam during the final semester in college or shortly after graduation. Individuals who do not have a geoscience degree must have 8 years of experience to qualify for the FG exam.
Practice of Geology (PG): Consists of 110 questions. This examination can be taken after 5 years of experience with a bachelor’s degree, after 4 years of experience with an advanced degree, or after 12 years of experience without a geoscience degree.
Applicants Applying for ASBOG Fundementals of Geology Exam (FG) Only
You may be eligible to sit for the ASBOG Fundamentals of Geology exam if you meet the education or experience requirement as indicated by the arrows in the table representing the four pathways to licensure.
Applicants must complete and submit Forms 1 and 2 if sitting for the test without the requisite experience (paths 1-3 on table). Applicants must submit Forms 1, 2, 4, and 4A if sitting for the FG test as part of the twelve years of experience with no education route. Please make sure to submit all required payments and forms at least six months prior to the exam date. Forms can be downloaded from the Office of Professions website under the "Examination Requirements" tab. Once an applicant is approved to sit for the FG exam, the Board will upload preregistration information for all approved candidates to the Prometric Registration Portal. Candidates will receive an email from registrations@isoqualitytesting.com (Prometric/Iso-Quality Testing (IQT)) approximately 45 days in advance of the scheduled exam, providing instruction on how to complete registration, pay for the examinations and seat fee, and select a testing location.
Applicants Applying for ASBOG Fundamentals of Geology Exam (FG) and the Principles of Geology Exam (PG) or for the Principals of Geology Exam (PG) Only
You may be eligible to sit for the ASBOG Fundamentals of Geology exam and/or the Principles of Geology exam if you meet the education and/or experience requirements as indicated by the arrows in the table representing the four pathways to licensure.
Applicants must submit Forms 1, 2, 3, 4, and 4A if sitting for the FG and PG exams. Please make sure to submit all required payments and forms at least six months prior to the exam date. Forms can be downloaded from the Office of Professions website under the "Examination Requirements" tab. Once an applicant is approved to sit for the FG exam, the Board will upload preregistration information for all approved candidates to the Prometric Registration Portal. Candidates will receive an email from registrations@isoqualitytesting.com (Prometric/Iso-Quality Testing (IQT)) approximately 45 days in advance of the scheduled exam, providing instruction on how to complete registration, pay for the examinations and seat fee, and select a testing location.
Examination Resources
The ASBOG® PG and FG exams have changed to an online format as of the Spring 2023 exam. More information is available by visiting the ASBOG® website.
ASBOG® Exam Dates (Applicants must be approved to sit for Examinations)
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October 4, 2024
October 3, 2025
March 20, 2026
October 2, 2026
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Study Guides and Webinar Courses
http://www.regreview.com/
Flash Cards
https://www.flashcardsecrets.com/asbog/
General Test Preparation (For Multiple Choice Tests)
https://www.mometrix.com/bonusvideo/
Exemptions
Nothing in the professional geology laws shall be construed to affect or prevent:
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1. The employment and supervision of interns and other persons qualified by education or experience by professional geologists as assistants in the performance of geological services, or as consultants or employees in special fields related to but not uniquely geology, provided that the professional geologist employing or supervising such persons shall not be relieved of any responsibility whatsoever by delegation to such persons.
2. The practice of professional engineering by a professional engineer licensed pursuant to this article to practice engineering in this state or an entity authorized pursuant to section seventy-two hundred ten of this article to provide engineering in this state, including the investigation, acquisition, evaluation, and interpretation of the physical and chemical properties of the soil, rock, groundwater, earth materials and data related thereto, and the performance of activities as specified in section seventy-two hundred four-a of this article, provided that no such person shall use the designation, or hold himself or herself out as a "professional geologist," unless licensed as such in this state, and provided further that nothing in this chapter shall preclude a licensed professional engineer or authorized entity from offering to provide or providing the work enumerated in this subdivision, however categorized, on the grounds that such licensed professional engineer or authorized entity is not licensed to practice geology.
3. The practice of land surveying by any person that is licensed or otherwise authorized to practice land surveying in this state, provided that no such person shall use the designation or hold himself or herself out as a "professional geologist" unless licensed as such in this state.
4. The execution of work by contractors or by others of work prepared by a professional geologist, or the superintendence of such work as a superintendent, foreman or inspector.
5. The practice of the profession of geology by officers and employees of this state practicing solely as officers and employees; provided, however, that this exemption shall not apply to officers and employees of the state of New York who commence employment or the performance of work related activities after the effective date of this section.
6. The execution of geological research and/or teaching conducted at accredited educational institutions and not-for-profit research institutions, conducted solely through those institutions.
7. Work customarily performed by physical or natural scientists provided such work does not include geological investigations, being in responsible charge of geological work, or the drawing of geological conclusions and recommendations.
8. Work customarily performed by water well drillers who have received a certificate of registration pursuant to section 15-1525 of the environmental conservation law.