Certification Process
Overview
All Pennsylvania Masons are eligible to participate in the Academy’s Certification Process, culminating with the designation as a Master Masonic Scholar.
External studies programs are currently the fastest growing of all educational methods and the most diverse. The Committee of the Academy of Masonic Knowledge will attempt to provide to you the basic tools and principles for your study. How well you use these tools in your pursuit of Masonic knowledge will be analyzed and determined through your Evaluation Reports. It is important to your success that you not only know the subject, but that you demonstrate an ability to identify and apply the Masonic principles you have learned. The best ideas are those that work and the best scholars are leaders who set the pace for putting their thoughts and knowledge into action.
Masonic Education Units
MEU’s (Masonic Education Units) will be used as the standard measurement for recording achievement.
Each level contains basic and core information as its anchor. However, the requirements are formulated to allow you some flexibility to pursue individual interests. Avenues are provided for earning certification in a variety of ways.
For those who feel they have already completed an equivalent number of MEU’s via previous study, enrolling in a higher level is permissible so long as you can verify your proficiency to the Academy of Masonic Knowledge. This proficiency is demonstrated by submitting an Evaluation Report, with cover sheet, for each unit of previously completed work for each MEU that you request.
Article Substitution Policy
In levels 1 & 2, 1 review of 3 related Masonic articles may be substituted for 1 elective
(not from the required reading list) book review. With prior mentor approval, 3 articles on the
same general topic from the Masonic literature may be evaluated for 1 MEU. Suggested sources
for the articles include, but are not limited to, individual state Lodges of Research, the Journal of
the Masonic Society, Philalethes and the Square magazine. Sources require prior mentor
approval.
Required elements:
1. Titles, authors, and sources of selected articles.
2. A discussion of the articles in terms of primary concepts/themes.
3. An assessment of the overall information, identifying similarities and differences in the articles.
4. The applicability (or not) of the articles’ information to the scholar’s Masonic journey.
5. Submitted in Word, along with an AMK cover sheet.
Level I Certification
Eight MEU’s are required for certification. Level I requirements are a mechanism to help all participants develop an entry-level interest in the program as well as a basic knowledge of Freemasonry. These requirements serve as the foundation on which you can build a quality personal education program. To provide for a variety of individual interests the eight MEU’s will be earned from the Level I list.
| Activity | MEU’s | Maximum MEU’s |
| REQUIRED OF ALL PARTICIPANTS: Read and submit an Evaluation Report for three of the Level One books listed below. | 1 per book | 3 |
| ELECTIVE MEU’s: Read additional books from the Recommended Books List or other Masonic books and submit Evaluation Reports for them. An evaluation of 3 Masonic articles may be substituted for 1 book evaluation. | 1 per book
1 per set of three approved articles |
5 |
| Attend an Academy of Masonic Knowledge Seminar or a Masonic research meeting, and submit an Evaluation Report | 1 MEU per session | 3 |
| Present a Masonic Education program to any Masonic Body or to a public gathering. (20 minutes or longer)** | 1 for each different presentation | 3 |
| Compose a Masonic article, suitable for publication. (1000 words minimum)* | 1 for each different article | 3 |
* To receive Masonic Education Unit credit for any activity, you are required to submit a written Evaluation Report describing your activity. For presentations and programs, submit a copy of the program text or an outline of it along with the Evaluation Report Cover Sheet.
Required Reading (pick three):
- Allen E. Roberts, The Craft and Its Symbols, 1974
- Bernard E. Jones, Freemason’s Guide and Compendium, 1950,1956 (worth two MEU’s)
- John J. Robinson, A Pilgrims Path, 1993
- Joseph Fort Newton, The Builders, 1914
- Allen E. Roberts, The Mystic Tie, 1991
- Fred L. Pick & G. Norman Knight, The Pocket History of Freemasonry, 1953
- William A. Carpenter, The Exemplar, A Guide to a Mason’s Actions, 1985
- PA Grand Lodge, Handbook of Masonic Education and Tools of the Craft, 1999
Suggested subjects for level elective reading:
- General Information about Freemasonry
- Philosophy of Freemasonry
- History of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania
- Symbolism and Freemasonry
Level II Certification
Nine MEU’s required for certification. To provide for a variety of individual interests/study for Masonic leaders, the nine MEU’s will be earned from the Level II list.
| Activity | MEU’s | Maximum MEU’s |
| REQUIRED OF ALL PARTICIPANTS: Read and submit an Evaluation Report for three of the books listed below |
1 per book | 3 |
| ELECTIVE MEU’s: Read additional books from the Recommended Books List or other Masonic books and submit Evaluation Reports for them. An evaluation of 3 Masonic articles may be substituted for 1 book evaluation. | 1 per book
1 per set of three approved articles |
5 |
| Attend an Academy of Masonic Knowledge Seminar or a Masonic research meeting, and submit an Evaluation Report | 1 MEU per session | 3 |
| Present a Masonic Education program to any Masonic Body or to a public gathering. (20 minutes or longer)** | 1 for each different presentation | 3 |
| Compose a Masonic article, suitable for publication. (1000 words minimum)* | 1 for each different article | 3 |
* To receive Masonic Education Unit credit for any activity, you are required to submit a written Evaluation Report describing your activity. For presentations and programs, submit a copy of the program text or an outline of it along with the Evaluation Report Cover Sheet.
Required Reading (pick three):
- Huss, The Master Builders, (3 Volumes – one credit for each volume)
- Bullock, Revolutionary Brotherhood
- Haggard, The Clergy and the Craft
- Roy, Stalwart Builders – G.L. of Mass., 1735-1970
- Leaser, Fundamentalism and Freemasonry
- Thorn, The Boy Who Cried Wolf
- DeHoyas & Morris, Is it True What They Say About Freemasonry?
- Welchans, History of Lodge No. 43, F&AM
- Johnson, The Beginnings of Freemasonry in America
- Coil, Freemasonry Through Six Centuries (2 volumes – one credit for each volume)
- Borneman, Early Freemasonry in Pennsylvania
- G.L. of England, Grand Lodge of England 1717 – 1967
- Smith, Douglas, Working the Rough Stone: Freemasonry and Society in Eighteenth- Century Russia, Northern Illinois Univ. Press, 1999
- Jasper Ridley, The Freemasons
Suggested subjects for level elective reading:
- Freemasonry and religion – factual information
- Freemasonry’s response to critics
- Freemasonry and the world
- Freemasonry and our nation
Level III Certification
Ten MEU’s required for certification. To provide for a variety of individual interests/study as a dedicated Masonic Scholar, the 10 MEU’s will be earned from the Level III list.
| Activity | MEU’s | Maximum MEU’s |
| REQUIRED OF ALL PARTICIPANTS: Read and submit an Evaluation Report for three of the books listed below |
1 per book | 3 |
| REQUIRED OF ALL PARTICIPANTS: Conduct a Masonic research project and submit a scholarly research paper to the Academy of Masonic Knowledge |
3 | 3 |
| ELECTIVE MEU’s: Read additional books from the Recommended Books List or other Masonic books and submit an Evaluation Report for each book |
1 per book | 4 |
| Attend an Academy of Masonic Knowledge Seminar or a Masonic research meeting, and submit an Evaluation Report | 1 MEU per session | 3 |
| Present a Masonic Education program to any Masonic Body or to a public gathering. (20 minutes or longer)** | 1 for each different presentation | 3 |
| Compose a Masonic article, suitable for publication. (2000 words minimum)* | 1 for each different article | 3 |
* To receive Masonic Education Unit credit for any activity, you are required to submit a written Evaluation Report describing your activity. For presentations and programs, submit a copy of the program text or an outline of it along with the Evaluation Report Cover Sheet.
Required Reading (pick three):
- Jasper Ridley, The Freemasons (if not read for Level Two)
- Bullock, Revolutionary Brotherhood (if not read for Level Two)
- Jacobs, Margaret, Living the Enlightenment
- Pound, Masonic Addresses and Writings of Roscoe Pound
- Sachse, Old Masonic Lodges of PA, Moderns and Ancients, 1730 – 1800
- Carr, The Early French Exposures
- Carr, The Collected Prestonian Lectures
- Dyer, William Preston and His Work
- Dumenil, Freemasonry and American Culture
- Knoop, Jones & Hamer, The Early Masonic Catechisms
- Wells, The Rise and Development of Organized Freemasonry
- Vaughn, The Anti-Masonic Party in the U.S., 1826-1842
- Horne, King Solomon’s Temple in the Masonic Tradition
- DiBernardo, Giulano, Freemasonry and Its Image of Man, D.J. Costello, Ltd., Kent, England
Suggested subjects for level elective reading:
- Origin of Freemasonry
- Historical Masonic theory
- Influence of Freemasonry on society
