(225 ILCS 745/50)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2026)

Sec. 50. Qualifications for licensure.

(a) The Department may issue a license to practice as a Licensed Professional Geologist to any applicant who meets the following qualifications:

(1) The applicant has completed an application form and paid the required fees.

(2) The applicant is of good ethical character, including compliance with the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics under this Act, and has not committed any act or offense in any jurisdiction that would constitute the basis for disciplining a Licensed Professional Geologist under this Act.

(3) The applicant has earned a degree in geology from an accredited college or university, as established by rule, with a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours of course credits in geology, of which 24 semester or 36 quarter hours are in upper level courses. The Department may, upon the recommendation of the Board, allow the substitution of appropriate experience as a geologist for prescribed educational requirements as established by rule.

(4) The applicant has a documented record of a minimum of 4 years of professional experience, obtained after completion of the education requirements specified in this Section, in geologic or directly related work, demonstrating that the applicant is qualified to assume responsible charge of such work upon licensure as a Licensed Professional Geologist or such specialty of professional geology that the Board may recommend and the Department may recognize. The Department may require evidence acceptable to it that up to 2 years of professional experience have been gained under the supervision of a person licensed under this Act or similar Acts in any other state, or under the supervision of others who, in the opinion of the Department, are qualified to have responsible charge of geological work under this Act.

(5) The applicant has passed an examination authorized by the Department for practice as a Licensed Professional Geologist.

(6) The applicant has complied with all other requirements of this Act and rules established for the implementation of this Act.

(b) A license to practice as a Licensed Professional Geologist shall not be denied any applicant because of the applicant's race, religion, creed, national origin, political beliefs or activities, age, sex, sexual orientation, or physical impairment.

(c) The Department may establish by rule an intern process to, in part, allow (1) a graduate who has earned a degree in geology from an accredited college or university in accordance with this Act or (2) a student in a degree program at an accredited college or university who has completed the necessary course requirements established in this Section to request to take one or both parts of the examination required by the Department without first submitting a formal application to the Department for licensure as a Licensed Professional Geologist. The Department may set by rule the criteria for the intern process, including, but not limited to, the educational requirements, exam requirements, experience requirements, remediation requirements, and any fees or applications required for the process. The Department may also set by rule provisions concerning disciplinary guidelines and the use of the title "intern" or "trainee" by a graduate or student who has passed the required examination.

(Source: P.A. 99-26, eff. 7-10-15.)