Georgia Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
Land Surveying Courses and Education

The following policy is based on the current law and is used as a guide in evaluating individual applications.

Section 43-15-12(1)(A)

A four (4) year approved bachelor degree approved by the board means a four (4) year Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) - accredited engineering or technology curriculum and other curriculums as defined by board rule 180-3-.01. Twenty (20) quarter hours credit in land surveying subjects means post-high school courses specifically on the subject of land surveying, taught as a part of an ABET-accredited engineering or technology curriculum, or taught as part of a non-ABET accredited four-year engineering curriculum subject to approval by the board after review of individuals' transcripts and course outline. Also accepted as being equivalent to twenty (20) quarter hours of land surveying courses will be the Georgia Professional Land Surveyors Course No. GS5000 offered through the Business and Industrial Training Division of ICS Learning Systems, provided the applicant was acquiring good quality and substantial quantity of land surveying field experience, under the direct supervision of a registered land surveyor, while taking the Professional Land Surveyors Course. Other land surveying courses may receive partial credit.

Section 43-15-12(1)(B)

Associate degree approved by the board means a two (2) year ABET-accredited technology curriculum, or a non-accredited two (2) year associate degree in technology of an institution where the four (4) year technology curriculum is ABET accredited for the same course. Two (2) balanced years of credit in an ABET-accredited engineering curriculum may be considered equivalent to a board approved associate degree after review of individual transcripts. Certain four (4) year science degrees not approved under O.C.G.A. 43-15-12(1)(A) may, upon evaluation by the board, be considered equivalent to an approved associate degree. All other four (4) year degrees, or less, will be considered only under O.C.G.A. 43-15-12(1)(C).

Twenty (20) quarter hours credit in land surveying subjects means the same as defined for O.C.G.A. 43-15-12(1)(A).

Section 43-15-12(1)(C)

The Board may give one year work experience credit for completion of the Georgia Professional Land Surveyors Course mentioned in the definition of O.C.G.A. 43-15-12(1)(A). Some amount of work experience credit, not to exceed one year, may be given for miscellaneous post-high school courses not previously mentioned in the definitions, upon board evaluation of transcripts and course outlines.

Courses of study necessary for land surveying means twenty (20) quarter hours, or its equivalent, as defined in O.C.G.A. 43-15-12(1)(A).

To further clarify this information in consideration of past actions, it is intended that the board may, in its discretion, grant a maximum of three (3) hours of land surveying course credit for subjects such as algebra, trigonometry, geometry, calculus, and physics.

Other Land Surveying Courses encompass other courses not directly mentioned in this policy due to the variety of avenues through which it is possible for a person to acquire such education. These courses may be good land surveying courses taught by an established and recognized engineering school, but for whatever reason, are not ABET accredited. These courses may be questionable continuing education courses taught by transient persons of unknown qualification. Applicants should be aware that land surveying courses taught by small local colleges, technical institutions, and vocational schools that may be of good reputation and even be state supported, will not necessarily be acceptable. The reason for the board assuming this position is that the quality of instruction not only varies between schools, but varies from time to time. Equipment available for laboratory training ranges from very good to practically none. Qualifications for instructors have been observed to vary from excellent to someone who has had little or no formal land surveying education and experience. Instructors are often part time and change with every session. Curriculum is usually established by the instructor alone and there is no one in a higher school supervisory capacity that has even a vague knowledge of what a land surveying curriculum should be. Demand for land surveying courses is not consistent so they seem to come and go at certain schools. Past performance record is difficult to evaluate.

In summary, there is almost an infinite variety of land surveying education that can and does appear before the board. It is simply not possible for the board to provide advanced policy and evaluation of land surveying courses that have no recognized standing. To further clarify the matter, no credit can be given for refresher courses because they merely cover previously taken material a second time. Continuing education, non-credit and refresher land surveying courses may serve a good purpose for someone to stay up-to-date or study for a land surveying examination; however, they are, by their own nature, of such indeterminate value that no significant credit can be given for them toward the basic twenty (20) quarter hour requirement.