Surveying, AAS

Surveyors, tasked with measuring and recording property boundaries and topography for construction and engineering projects, utilize surveys to establish legal boundaries, prepare maps and exhibits, and draft land tract descriptions that meet legal criteria. Approved by the Montana Board of Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors, the FVCC Surveying AAS degree fulfills the educational prerequisites for aspiring licensed surveyors in Montana.

Specifically, the program develops fundamental principles of land surveying and mapping along with an introduction to collecting, manipulation, formatting, and mapping geospatial data. In the first year, students focus on introductory technical surveying skills that prepare them for employment as a Survey Technician. In year two, the focus expands to understanding and applying the legal and regulatory aspects of the profession. This combination of hands-on skill development training with legal and regulatory coursework prepares students for the Land Surveying Intern exam.

The program is delivered fully online with practical labs facilitated by licensed surveyors, providing comprehensive preparation for entry-level positions in the field of land surveying.

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to

• Operate current instrumentation to search for field evidence, take and reduce field notes, and stake construction projects and boundary monumentation;
• Function in office activities including calculator operations, computer data entry and analysis, manual and computer drafting of various survey-related drawings, and records research;
• Enter a geographic information system entry-level position; and
• Possess sufficient theoretical and practical surveying knowledge to sit for the Land Surveyor Intern exam.