§4909. Qualifications

1.

[PL 2007, c. 402, Pt. S, §8 (RP).]

1-A.  Application.  An applicant for licensure as a geologist or soil scientist shall file an application and pay the application fee as set under section 4912. An applicant for licensure as a geologist or soil scientist must be trustworthy and competent.

[PL 2007, c. 402, Pt. S, §8 (NEW).]

2.  Geologist examination requirements.  To qualify to sit for the geologist licensure examination, an applicant must:

A. Be a graduate of an accredited college or university with a major in geological sciences, or have completed 30 credits in geological sciences at an accredited college or university, or have at least 7 years of professional geological work that includes either a minimum of 3 years of professional geological work under the supervision of a qualified or licensed geologist or a minimum of 5 years of responsible charge of geological work;   [PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (AMD).]

B. Have acquired 7 years of experience in responsible charge of geological work, toward which an undergraduate degree with 30 credit hours or more in geological science courses counts as 2 years of training and each year of graduate study in the geological sciences counts as 1/2 year of training, up to a maximum of 2 years of credit; and   [PL 2007, c. 402, Pt. S, §8 (AMD).]

C. Receive credit toward the experience requirement subject to the evaluation of the board. Applicants with less than 30 credit hours in geological science courses may be given proportional work-experience credits for such academic credit hours as they may have acquired.   [PL 1975, c. 760, §12 (NEW).]

An applicant under this subsection may take a national fundamentals of geology examination and a Maine local knowledge examination approved in rules adopted by the board in the final year of an accredited 4-year or graduate-level program, as long as the applicant has completed the minimum 30 credits in geological sciences required in this subsection.

An applicant under this subsection may take a national practice of geology examination approved in rules adopted by the board upon completion of the work experience requirement in this subsection.

[PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (AMD).]

2-A.  Soil scientist examination requirements.

A. [PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (RP).]

[PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (RP).]

2-B.  Soil scientist examination requirements.  To qualify to sit for the examinations for licensure as a soil scientist, an applicant must meet the requirements in paragraph A or B.

A. An applicant must have:

(1) A minimum 4-year baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university in soils, plants, engineering, geology, biology, forestry or other natural resources science;

(2) Completed a minimum of 15 credit hours of soil or soil-related courses. Soil-related courses may amount to no more than 20% of the required 15 credit hours for a maximum of 3 credit hours; and

(3) Completed 3 or more documented years of post-baccalaureate degree work in soil professional work of a grade and character that indicates that the applicant may be competent to practice as a soil scientist.

(a) An applicant who teaches soil science courses at a college or university offering a 4-year degree in soil science may receive credit toward the required work experience under this subparagraph.

(b) Work experience obtained while an applicant is enrolled in courses does not count toward the 3-year work experience requirement under this subparagraph, but summer soil-related employment counts toward that requirement.

(c) Each graduate degree obtained in a soil or soil-related field in addition to the required 4-year baccalaureate degree counts as one year of work experience.   [PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (NEW).]

B. An applicant must have:

(1) Completed an associate degree from an accredited 2-year college in soils, plants, engineering, geology, biology, forestry or other natural resources science;

(2) Completed a minimum of 15 credit hours of soil or soil-related courses. Soil-related courses may amount to no more than 20% of the required 15 credit hours for a maximum of 3 credit hours; and

(3) Completed 5 or more documented years of post-associate degree work in soil professional work of a grade and character that indicates that the applicant may be competent to practice as a soil scientist.   [PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (NEW).]

An applicant under this subsection may take a national fundamentals of soil science examination approved in rules adopted by the board in the final year prior to or after graduation from an accredited 2-year program or in the final year of an accredited 4-year or graduate-level program, as long as the applicant has completed the minimum 15 credit hours required in this subsection.

An applicant under this subsection may take a national soil science professional practice examination and Maine soil science professional practice examination approved in rules adopted by the board upon completion of the work experience requirement in this subsection.

[PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (NEW).]

3.  Examination.  Examinations approved by the board must test the applicant's knowledge of geology or soil science and the applicant's ability to apply that knowledge and to assume responsible charge in the professional practice of geology or soil science.

[PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (AMD).]

4.  Licensure by endorsement.  The board, in its discretion and upon payment of the application and license fees established pursuant to section 4912, may issue a license as a geologist or soil scientist without written examination to any person who is licensed as a geologist or soil scientist in any jurisdiction having equivalent licensure requirements, if the applicant satisfies all other requirements of this chapter.

[PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (NEW).]

An applicant must pass the examinations required by the board. An applicant failing an examination may retake the examination upon filing a new examination application and paying the required examination fee.   [PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (AMD).]

Any applicant who has passed the examination or has otherwise qualified as a geologist or soil scientist upon receipt of a completed license application and payment of a license fee as set under section 4912 may be issued a license as a geologist or soil scientist as appropriate.   [PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (AMD).]

SECTION HISTORY

PL 1973, c. 558, §1 (NEW). PL 1973, c. 788, §162 (AMD). PL 1975, c. 760, §§12,13 (AMD). PL 1977, c. 694, §646 (AMD). PL 1981, c. 501, §77 (AMD). PL 1983, c. 413, §§178-181 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 386, §P1 (AMD). PL 2007, c. 402, Pt. S, §8 (AMD). PL 2019, c. 285, §11 (AMD).