Land Surveyor (CERT1)

• The Associate of Applied Science in Land Surveying and Mapping Technology program prepares students with technical and professional skills necessary to enter careers and professional practice in boundary land surveying, mapping, engineering surveying and other geospatial data or geomatics areas. Graduates of the program will be able to apply principles and methods of modern surveying practices to perform surveys and generate professional surveying product deliverables. They will be able to produce land boundary surveys, mapping, and geospatial work products in written, verbal, and graphical forms to members of a professional team; recognize the necessity and incorporation of life-long learning habits and understand the importance of participating in professional societies and organizations to fully develop their potential as surveying technologist.
• Program Highlights
• Surveying is an integral compo­nent for land development by civil engineers, mu­nicipal planners, and the construction industry. Each level of training prepares a student for dif­ferent levels of certifications that are becoming highly valued by employers in the surveying industry.
• Credentials and Careers
• The Land Surveyor Level 1 Certificate covers the core concepts and prepares a student to take the NSPS Level II and Level III Certification for the Survey Technician.
• The Land Surveying and Mapping Technology Associate of Applied Science degree prepares students to take either the NSPS Level IV Certification for the Survey Technician or with two years of experience acceptable to the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (TBPELS), apply to the Surveyor-in-Training (S.I.T.) examinations. As a land surveying and mapping technician, one may conduct projects that include boundary, control, hydrographic, photogrammetric and engineering design surveys, with a typical client base of engineers, architects, municipalities, real estate and land developers, along with federal, state and local transportation agencies, and the petrochemical industry.
• Transferability
• Program graduates may further their education at Lone Star College by applying to the Bachelor of Applied Science in Energy, Manufacturing, and Trades Management.
• General education courses (Core) are designated for easy transfer to Texas public institutions and applicable to requirements at private and out-of-state institutions.
• Technical coursework may be transferable to other institutions.
• Please consult with a program advisor for more information about transferability.

• This award requires 32 credit hours in total.
• Lone Star College reports 688 contact hours for this award.
• Where the course list shows "Choose N credit hours", those courses are the options for one elective slot, not additional requirements.

• Students will be able to utilize modern measurement technologies to acquire, record, process and reduce geospatial measurement data and function effectively as a member of a technical team.
• Employ industry – standard software solutions to solve well defined land surveying, surveying engineering and geospatial problems.
• Apply knowledge, techniques, skills and modern tools of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology to solve surveying problems in the field or office, including the use of statistical analysis tools to deal with measurement error and error propagation.
• Apply technical concepts to determine best practices, such as: mission planning, defining a scope of work and determining field geospatial data collection methods, i.e., GPS, total station, photogrammetry, lidar, drone usage, digital leveling, and more.
• Students will be familiar with landmark Texas court cases which are the basis for professional surveyors’ analysis, interpretation, and determination of land boundary opinions. Students will be able to apply concepts from these cases, such as: dignity of calls, gradient boundary, junior/ senior rights and other legal concepts when formulating boundary location opinions.
• Students will be able to acquire, research, analyze and interpret historical maps, legal descriptions, easements, real property records, appurtenance records, GIS maps, and land information systems data. They will be able to reconcile recorded historical and multivariant measurement data with newly collected measurement data collectively to derive land boundary solutions.
• In their Capstone Course, students will either complete an internship with a land surveying, engineering or other geospatial industry related company enabling them to apply their program acquired skill set in at least one of the recognized technical specialties within surveying/ geomatics technology, and/ or complete an instructor led examination preparation course for the Certified Survey Technician (CST) Level IV exam and/ or the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES), Surveyor in Training exam.

• Tuition shown is the in-district rate of $111.00 per credit hour for 32 credit hours.
• Out-of-district Texas residents pay $249.00 per credit hour ($7,968.00); international and out-of-state students pay $313.00 per credit hour ($10,016.00).
• Lab fees vary by course and liability insurance, uniforms and supplies vary by program, so Lone Star College publishes no all-in total for this award. Tuition above excludes them.
• Financial aid and payment plans are available to most students.
• Application fee: none. Lone Star College applications are free.

• The Land Surveyor Certificate covers the core concepts and prepares a student to take the NSPS Level I, Level II, and Level III Certified Survey Technician Exams.
• The Land Surveying and Mapping Technology Associate of Applied Science degree prepares students to take either the NSPS Level IV Certified Survey Technician Exam or, with two years of experience acceptable to the Texas Board of Professional Engineering and Land Surveying (TBPELS), apply to the Surveyor-in-Training (S.I.T.) examinations.

Criminal background check is required for licensure and certification by the Texas Board of Professional Engineering and Land Surveying (TBPELS) and is at the student's expense.

• Students who are classified as First Time in College (FTIC) will complete EDUC 1300 - Learning Framework: First Year Experience.
• Students who are not classified as First Time in College (FTIC) and have not yet demonstrated college-level readiness in reading and writing, will complete EDUC 1300 - Learning Framework: First Year Experience.