MA FS application-Board Approved courses

Are you a member of MALSCE? The Surveyor In Training course (virtual) was held on October 10 so you just missed it. Non-members could also attend, but it is past the deadline.

Just in case, here is a link to the course. There is some other information in the link if you want to ask them about your questions. Good luck.

https://www.malsce.org/events/fall-2020-sit-refresher-course-3221?ÿ

Write the Board a letter/email.

If you have specific classes you want to know about then send the syllabi.

I'd be surprised if CAD counted as there is very little survey specific content - but they might count - you gotta ask the Board. CAD is a great surveying tool but so are shovels and machetes and vans and ...

Physics classes are great but they're not land surveying courses - again, you gotta ask the Board.

If there are classes you are considering taking, ask about them too - send the syllabi.

They won't be able to tell you if a class counts by the course title.

Pole,

?ÿ

A friend of mine is on the board and mentioned that the CAD and Physics coursework would not apply to the requirement.?ÿ He mentioned that there are many online survey classes that would be acceptable to fulfill the 18 hour.

?ÿ

Dan

The MALSCE one-day courses are "refresher" courses for people planning to sit for the exams. They do not qualify for education credit on your application. They are geared to remind the test takers of things they should already have studied, and give them an idea of what questions to expect on the exam.

You are fooling yourself if you think 8 actual surveying credit courses in any way prepares you to enter a profession. Take a careful look at all the courses actual required in states that have actual degree requirements to get a hint. From my random observations states that have minimal requirements also do not have within that state an institution that includes a surveying program. In some states it may be the colleges that drove for stricter requirements while in others it was the professionals that pushed for the college level programs.

The FS exam is administered through a nationwide program that has well published recommendations for applicants.

Paul in PA

@paul-in-pa

He may have many years of actual experience, which prepares him to enter the profession.?ÿ Sort of like most of the licensed people in the state.?ÿ

@jph

Many years of experience would imply he is well aware of said state's requirements. 8 survey credits and no statement of experience implies low experience to me.

Paul in PA

@paul-in-pa

?ÿI am not sure if you read the MA requirements. The state sets the requirements of education and experience (also, 18 credits, not 8), and there are plenty of other threads debating how much one should have of each, he is just trying to get information so he can plan his next steps based in what the board says he needs.

I am in the same boat as Pole, trying to know which of my classes counts towards the education requirement in MA. I have contacted the board multiple times and they seem unwilling to say which classes count. I am still on the quest.

@paul-in-pa

Actually, nothing he said in his post implies anything of the sort.?ÿ You're inferring these things, and as usual can't help posting a condescending lecture reply.

Polecat may have only the minimum number of years in to qualify for licensure.?ÿ Conversely, he could have 20 years of actual experience, but never had a mentor or employer who encouraged him to go for his LS.?ÿ

His post wasn't blindly asking what he needs to get his license, but just clarification on what qualifies for the nominal required courses.

Another thing to consider at this point is that if you are considering pursuing comity in other states, typically, you must meet their requirements which were in effect at the the time you were licensed.

So if you take classes that wouldn't currently qualify in the states you might want to be licensed in later then you won't qualify for a license by comity. In many states those classes must be from an ABET accredited program.?ÿ

Of course if your entire licensed career will be in Mass (or states with similar licensing requirements) then this is a non-issue.

If you get a 4-year degree from an ABET accredited school, you'll have the education needed to sit for the exam and a comity license in all US jurisdictions.

@tsur

I have contacted the board multiple times and they seem unwilling to say which classes count.

This is a recurring theme in other states too.

I'm going to start clanging the gong of incompetency soon.?ÿ?ÿ With Old crotchity surveyors wielding this illustrious and arbitrary moving target of " board approved classes or degree programs" with so few programs that even exist in just land surveying anymore, these bunch of funzanoons( look it up, Jackie Mason reference....) should be able to easily and quickly produce lists of every class that they referred to and redirected classes they mention.?ÿ I'm tired of people not encouraging us and even younger surveyor candidates to success, they are mired in the dysfunctional past, ruining the field for all of us, and effectively eliminating the profession eventually.

?ÿ

STOP BLOCKING US AND HELP MENTOR US SO WE ALL WIN!