§ 54.1-1403. Certification; minimum qualifications
A. Any person practicing or offering to practice as a geologist or in a geological specialty in this Commonwealth may submit reasonable evidence to the Board that he is qualified to practice and to be certified as herein provided. The Board shall approve the application for certification of any person who, in the opinion of the Board, has satisfactorily met the requirements of this chapter and who has paid any applicable fees fixed by the Board.
Certifications shall expire at intervals as designated by the Board. A certification may be renewed by the Board upon receipt of a formal request accompanied by any applicable fees.
B. To be eligible for certification as a professional geologist, an applicant shall meet each of the following minimum qualifications:
1. Be of ethical character.
2. Have a baccalaureate or higher degree from an accredited college or university with either a major in geology, engineering geology, geological engineering, or related geological sciences; or have completed at least thirty semester hours or the equivalent in geological science courses leading to a major in geology.
3. Have at least seven years of geological work which shall include either a minimum of three years of geological work under the supervision of a qualified or certified professional geologist, or a minimum of three years of experience in responsible charge of geological work. The adequacy of the position and the required supervision and experience shall be determined by the Board in accordance with standards set forth in its regulations. The following criteria of education and experience qualify toward the required seven years of geological work:
a. Each year of full-time undergraduate study in the geological sciences shall count as one-half year of experience up to a maximum of two years, and each year of full-time graduate study shall count as a year of experience up to a maximum of three years. Credit for undergraduate and graduate study shall in no case exceed a total of four years toward meeting the requirements for at least seven years of geological work.
b. The Board may consider in lieu of the above-described geological work, the cumulative total of geological work or geological research of persons occupying research or post-graduate positions as well as those teaching geology courses at the college or university level, provided such work or research can be demonstrated to be of a sufficiently responsible nature to be equivalent to the geological work required above.
4. Successfully pass an appropriate examination approved by the Board and designed to demonstrate that the applicant has the necessary knowledge and skill to exercise the responsibilities of the public practice of geology.
At the discretion of the Board, separate examinations may be prepared for various subsections of geology; however, there will be no specialty certification, only certification as a professional geologist.
(1981, c. 132, §§ 54-964, 54-965; 1984, c. 51; 1988, c. 765.)
Sections: Previous 54.1-1400 54.1-1401 54.1-1402 54.1-1403 54.1-1404 54.1-1405 NextLast modified: April 3, 2009