Section 4.05. Examinations.

 

(1)   Required examinations. All applicants for initial licensure as a professional soil scientist shall pass examinations for the professional practice of soil science approved by the professional soil scientist section. Required examinations shall include a fundamentals examination and a principles and practice examination.

(2)   Fundamentals examination. The fundamentals examination requires an understanding of the physical and mathematical sciences involved in the fundamentals of soil science. To be eligible to take the fundamentals examination, an applicant shall have done one of the following:

(a) Be of not less than second semester senior standing in a bachelor of science program in soil science meeting the requirements of s. GHSS 4.04 .

(b) Have completed at least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours of course credits for the degree in soil science meeting the requirements of s. GHSS 4.04 .

(c) Have at least 4 years of experience which is determined by the professional soil scientist section to be equivalent to the requirements of s. GHSS 4.04 .

(3)   Principles and practice examination. The principles and practice examination requires the ability to apply soil science principles and judgment to problems in the practice of professional soil science.

(a) To be eligible to take the principles and practice examination, an applicant under s. 470.04 (4) (c) 1. , Stats., shall have done the following:

1. Met the requirements under s. 470.04 (4) (a) , Stats.

2. Met the requirement under s. 470.04 (4) (b) , Stats., or have at least 5 years of professional experience in addition to the qualifying experience under subd. 3. , which is determined by the professional soil scientist section to be equivalent to the requirement under s. 470.04 (4) (b) , Stats.

3. Completed at least 4 years of professional experience in soil science work of a character satisfactory to the professional soil scientist section, or completed at least 3 years of professional experience in soil science work of a character satisfactory to the section if the applicant has one or more advanced degrees relevant to the practice of professional soil science, demonstrating that the applicant is qualified to assume responsible charge of soil science work. At least one year of the qualifying professional experience under this subdivision must have been performed under the supervision of one or more of the following:

a. A person who is at the time of application licensed as a professional soil scientist under this chapter or who, during the period of supervised experience, was licensed as a professional soil scientist under ch. 470 , 1997 Stats.

b. A person who, during the period of supervised experience, was licensed as a professional soil scientist in another state, territory or possession of the United States or in another country that has licensure requirements for professional soil scientists that are not lower than the requirements for licensure under this chapter.

c. A person who, during the period of supervised experience, is deemed by the professional soil scientist section to have been qualified to have responsible charge of soil science work.

(b) To be eligible to take the principles and practice examination, an applicant under s. 470.04 (4) (c) 2. , Stats., shall have done the following:

1. Met the requirements under s. 470.04 (4) (a) , Stats.

2. Met the requirement under s. 470.04 (4) (b) , Stats., or have at least 5 years of professional experience in addition to the qualifying experience under subd. 3. , which is determined by the professional soil scientist section to be equivalent to the requirement under s. 470.04 (4) (b) , Stats.

3. Completed at least 6 years of professional experience in soil science work of a character satisfactory to the professional soil scientist section, or completed at least 5 years of professional experience in soil science work of a character satisfactory to the section if the applicant has one or more advanced degrees relevant to the practice of professional soil science, demonstrating that the applicant is qualified to assume responsible charge of soil science work. At least one year of the qualifying professional experience under this subdivision must have been performed under a peer review system approved by the professional soil scientist section.

(3m)   Application for examination. An applicant for initial licensure shall file an application for examination with the professional soil scientist section not less than 2 months before the scheduled date of the examination.

(4)   Americans with disabilities act. Otherwise qualified applicants with disabilities shall be provided with reasonable accommodations.

(5)   Examination and refund fees. The fee for the examinations for professional soil scientists and the requirements for refund of fees are specified in s. 440.05 , Stats., and ch. SPS 4 , respectively.

(6)   Place and time of examinations. The examinations required by this section shall be held at sites and on dates designated by the professional soil scientist section.

(7)   Passing scores.

(a) The passing scores set by the professional soil scientist section represent the minimum competency required to protect public health and safety.

(b) The fundamentals of soil science and the principles and practice of soil science examinations are scored separately. An applicant shall achieve a passing score on each of the required examinations to qualify for licensure.

(c) The professional soil scientist section may accept the recommendations of the examination provider for the passing scores on the fundamentals of soil science and the principles and practice of soil science examinations.

(8)   Cheating. The professional soil scientist section may deny release of scores or issuance of a credential if the board determines that the applicant violated rules of conduct of the examination or otherwise acted dishonestly.

Cr. Register, December, 1999, No. 528 , eff. 1-1-00; am. (2) (c) and (7) (b), r. (7) (d), Register, November, 2000, No. 539 , eff. 12-1-00; correction in (5) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7. , Stats., Register November 2011 No. 671 .