Career Opportunities with a Major in Surveying and Mapping
Many jobs require a college educated individual. College graduates can use their education in a wide variety of occupations.
The major in Surveying & Mapping at Metro State is the only one of its kind in Colorado and the region. It prepares graduates for registration as professional land surveyors but is broad enough to prepare them for careers in other areas of surveying and mapping or for graduate study. Graduates are in professional level positions with the Bureau of Land Management and other federal, state, and local government agencies, utilities, and private consulting companies. A relatively new employment area for graduates is in land information systems (storing information on land parcels, public utilities, and natural resources in computer systems for recordkeeping and planning purposes).
SKILLS RELATED TO SURVEYING & MAPPING
- Ability to read and write articulately and analytically
- Ability to work well under pressure
- Attention to detailiving advice on building plans and projects (high level)Giving advice on building plans and projects (high level)
- Ability to explain charts and maps
- Ability to plan land and water surveys
- Ability to draw diagrams, charts, and maps
- Proficiency in preparing technical or research reports
- Knowledge of surveying and measuring land
The following list is a representative sample of job titles for individuals with a Surveying & Mapping major. The list represents some, but certainly not all, careers which Surveying & Mapping majors may consider.
Some of these jobs also require education beyond a bachelor's degree.
EMPLOYERS IN SURVEYING & MAPPING
- Archaeology Firms
- Architectural Firms
- Colleges/Universities
- Construction Companies
- Engineering Consulting Firms
- Private Firms
- Land Management Agencies
- Local, State and Federal Agencies
- Mapping Companies
WEB SITES RELATED TO SURVEYING & MAPPING
Metro State Department of Surveying and Mapping Website
- BLM National Home Page
- ESRI - GIS and Mapping Software
- Federal GIS Coordination Group
- GIS Jobs Clearinghouse
- Land Surveying and Geomatics: On-Line Resources
- Land Surveying Info
- Museum of Surveying
- Point of Beginning Magazine
- Professional Surveyor Online
- United States Geological Survey Home Page
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS FIELD
- American Association for Geodetic Surveying
http://www.aagsmo.org -
American Congress on Surveying & Mapping
http://www.acsm.net -
ASPRS: The Imaging and Geospatial Information Society
http://www.asprs.org
-
NIMA - National Imagery & Mapping Agency
http://www.nima.mil -
Society for the History of Discoveries
http://www.sochistdisc.org/index.htm
The above information is collected from alumni surveys of numerous colleges, professional associations, and multiple print and online resources.