Nebraska Statutes 81-3539. Licensure; enrollment; applicant;qualifications; waiver
(1) Applications for licensure as a professional geologist, for temporary or reciprocal licensure, or for enrollment as a geologist-intern shall be on forms prescribed and furnished by the board and shall be accompanied by the fee established by the board.
Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 81-3539
- Board: means the Board of Geologists. See Nebraska Statutes 81-3504
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Geologist: means a person who is qualified to practice geology by reason of special knowledge and use of the earth sciences and the principles of geology and geologic data collection and analysis acquired by geologic education and geologic experience as provided in section 81-3539. See Nebraska Statutes 81-3509
- Geologist-intern: means a person who has passed an examination in the fundamentals of geology as provided in section 81-3540. See Nebraska Statutes 81-3509.01
- Geology: means the science which includes treatment of the earth and its origin and history, in general. See Nebraska Statutes 81-3510
- Good character: means such character as will enable a person to discharge the fiduciary duties of a geologist to his or her client and to the public for the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare. See Nebraska Statutes 81-3512
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: shall include bodies politic and corporate, societies, communities, the public generally, individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, and associations. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Practice of geology: means any service or creative work if the adequate performance of the service or work requires geologic education, training, and experience to include such services or creative work as geological consultation, investigation, planning, surveying, mapping, and inspection of geological work, and the responsible supervision thereof, the performance of which is related to public welfare or the safeguarding of life, health, property, and the environment, and teaching, including research and service, of advanced geological subjects. See Nebraska Statutes 81-3515
- Professional geologist: means a geologist who has a current certificate of licensure issued by the board. See Nebraska Statutes 81-3516
- Responsible charge: means direct control, direction, and personal supervision by use of initiative and independent judgment for geological work. See Nebraska Statutes 81-3518
- State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- United States: shall include territories, outlying possessions, and the District of Columbia. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
(2) The following shall be considered as minimum evidence satisfactory to the board that the applicant is qualified for licensure as a professional geologist or enrollment as a geologist-intern:
(a) The applicant is of good character and reputation and submits four references with his or her application for licensure as a professional geologist. Two of the references shall be professional geologists having personal knowledge of his or her geological experience or, in the case of the application for enrollment as a geologist-intern, acting only as character references;
(b) The applicant has successfully completed a minimum of thirty semester hours or forty-five quarter hours of course work in geology and has received a baccalaureate or advanced degree in geology or a geologic specialty from a program recognized by the board;
(c) The applicant has a documented record of a minimum of five years of progressive experience, obtained subsequent to completion of the education requirements, in geologic work of a grade and character which indicates to the board that the applicant is qualified to assume responsible charge of such work upon licensure as a geologist, including geologic teaching of advanced subjects and the design of geologic research and projects in a college or university offering a geologic curriculum, except that no work experience is required for enrollment as a geologist-intern; and
(d) The applicant has completed an examination covering the fundamentals and practice of geology prescribed by the board. Upon passing the fundamentals of geology examination, the applicant may be enrolled as a geologist-intern. Upon passing the practice of geology examination, the applicant may be granted a certificate of licensure to practice geology in this state if otherwise qualified.
(3) A person who holds a valid certificate of licensure to engage in the practice of geology, issued pursuant to the authority of any state or possession of the United States or the District of Columbia based on requirements that do not conflict with the act and were of a standard not lower than that specified in the applicable licensing law in effect in this state at the time the certificate was issued, may, upon application, be considered by the board to have fulfilled the requirements of subdivisions (2)(b) and (c) of this section and be licensed without further examination as required under subdivision (2)(d) of this section.
(4) The requirements of subdivisions (2)(b) through (d) of this section may be waived by the board if the applicant is licensed to practice geology at the time of application and has maintained a current certificate of licensure to practice geology for at least fifteen years issued pursuant to the authority of a state or possession of the United States or the District of Columbia based on requirements that do not conflict with the Geologists Regulation Act and if the applicant has lawfully practiced geology for at least fifteen years in such jurisdiction. Lawful practice includes any practice that is in compliance with the licensure law in effect in the jurisdiction where the practice occurs.