Land surveyors measure the earth, develop maps of remote areas in order to provide access to them and help with the planning of cities, subdivisions, transportation systems and recreational facilities. Graduates of colleges that offer land surveying programs are qualified to work for civil engineering companies, utility corporations, professional surveying companies and government agencies, such as the Bureau of Land Management. Several colleges in the state of New York offer degrees in land surveying.
Alfred State College
The SUNY College of Technology at Alfred State College offers two degrees in surveying engineering technology: an associate in applied science degree and a bachelor of science degree. The associate degree program covers traditional survey methods. The bachelor degree program covers global positioning systems and geographical information systems, as well as traditional survey methods. Graduates of both programs receive credit toward the total time required for licensure as a land surveyor.
Paul Smith's College
The division of forestry, natural resources and recreation at Paul Smith's College, located in the Adirondacks, offers an associate of applied science degree in surveying. Courses included in the program are route surveying, topographic surveying, geodesy, geographic information systems, surveying law, photogrammetry, computer aided design and statistics. The program is accredited by the Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Mohawk Valley Community College
Mohawk Valley Community College offers an associate of applied science degree in surveying technology. This degree program emphasizes field and laboratory experience. For example, in a basic surveying course taught during the first semester, students learn to use measurement equipment, levels and global positioning systems. In a course on legal principles of land surveying taught during the fourth semester, students perform off-campus research on land use of a particular property and present written and oral reports on their findings.
Ranger School
The Ranger School, located in Wanakena in the Adirondacks, is a regional campus of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). The main ESF campus is in Syracuse. Four regional campuses are in or near the Adirondacks. The Ranger School offers an associate of applied science degree in land surveying. In the first year of the degree program, students complete liberal arts courses at an accredited college. In the second year, students complete additional courses at the Ranger School, where they gain surveying and land resource knowledge and learn to use basic and advanced surveying equipment. The school's 2800-acre forest serves as an outdoor laboratory.
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