Merit badges are an important aspect of the scouting program. There are currently over a hundred different merit badges allowing a scout to learn about a very wide variety of sports, crafts, arts, sciences, trades, etc. A small subset of these are "Eagled Required" meaning they are required for advancement to Star, Life, and Eagle Scout ranks. The latest list of merit badges and their requirements can be found at: www.meritbadge.com.
Important: Merit badges are not self-study. All merit badges must be worked on with a registered merit badge counselor. The first step is to ask the Scoutmaster to sign a merit badge "blue card" and refer you to a merit badge counselor.