Anyone know how many States require a four year degree in Surveying to practice as a as a licensed Surveyor?
Thanks for your help!
daw
This is the best compilation I've come across; dated 2011:
Are You Not Currently Licensed?
If so, when?
Did you take the 2 day NCEES exams?
Comity rules usually are that you must meet the State requirements in effect on the date you first became licensed.
Many states have only recently gone to 4 year degree requirement, so check each state out you are interested in.
Paul in PA
Are You Not Currently Licensed?
Most states do, however, most states also have alternative means of getting license usually through experience. Few states are limited to four year degree requirment. Check the list at NCEES.
Are You Not Currently Licensed?
PE 02/28/72
LS 03/11/74
Not currently Registered
PE, I Assume An Engineering Degree?
An engineering degree from before 1972 meets a lot of states older requirements. However for comity you must be currently licensed somewhere.
PLS in 1974 means you may not have taken the 2 days of exams.
As it is, in PA you could apply under the "Old Law" (experience or degree before 1991), not comity or reciprocity, and take both exams in one weekend.
Paul in PA
NM is one of the worst. Some States require a 4yr degree but don't have a college that has a survey program to get the degree.
Maybe someone can give me a reason why when you needed to know all the formulas and do the calcs and adjustments by hand on a 10 place adding machine you didn't need any college. Now that all you need to do is push buttons you need a 4 year degree.
> NM is one of the worst. Some States require a 4yr degree but don't have a college that has a survey program to get the degree.
>
> Maybe someone can give me a reason why when you needed to know all the formulas and do the calcs and adjustments by hand on a 10 place adding machine you didn't need any college. Now that all you need to do is push buttons you need a 4 year degree.
NM has a degree program and NMSU in Las Cruces, just a little north of El Paso. It was started by Dr. James Reilly and I understand it is a good program.
I was a test case about the age of license and type of education in NM in 1996 because my boss was having a fight with the NM Board until his law firm got the NM AG involved. I never did learn if my acceptance was solely on the age of my first registration or on my education too.
B-)
I got my license in AL in 2009 through experience, but have worked in Florida my whole career. Trying to get one in FL to take over the company when my "boss" retires in 5 or 6 years....Found a little loophole that might let me sit for the state exam, but i start "Geomatics Engineering" classes on the 24th.....just in case
> I got my license in AL in 2009 through experience, but have worked in Florida my whole career. Trying to get one in FL to take over the company when my "boss" retires in 5 or 6 years....Found a little loophole that might let me sit for the state exam, but i start "Geomatics Engineering" classes on the 24th.....just in case
Are there any Spanish Grants you have to deal with in Florida? I know there were some when we acquired it from Spain.
I have mixed feelings on whether a college degree is necessary. But I will say that I don't think that knowing the math is primary issue. If all you do is push buttons and get some perfect mathematical solution, I would consider that the expertise of a good technician and no need for a license at all.
Texas, LA, and NM do. I need 12 more hours of college in surveying specifically to sit for the LA test. I need a degree in surveying or engineering to sit for the NM test. There was none last time I looked for AR or OK.
FWIW, I got my license in Texas without a degree, but then went on and got a degree and there is a good chance I'll not go back and get the 12 hours that LA requires so that I can sit for their two tests. I have thought about OK though. It would at least satisfy the PLS portion for all sectionized states.
I don't believe that it is required to have a four year surveying degree in NM. You must have a technical degree with 30 hours of surveying credits. Then you must apply to the board and they will decide if they let you take the exam. This is how I did it in 2011 when I got my surveying license.
Dennis
Then they changed the regs from when I looked in 2002 when I got licensed in Texas.
Texas is big enough that I don't really need another license to go survey somewhere else. 🙂
