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Geodetic surveyor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a geodetic surveyor. Geodetic surveyors usually study business, engineering, or biology. 33% of geodetic surveyors hold a high school diploma, and 33% hold an bachelor's degree. We analyzed 29 real geodetic surveyor resumes to see exactly what geodetic surveyor education sections show.

The most common colleges for geodetic surveyors are the University of South Carolina - Columbia and the University of South Carolina - Columbia.

There are also many online geodetic surveyor courses to help get the education required to be a geodetic surveyor.

What education do you need to become a geodetic surveyor?

What degree do you need to be a geodetic surveyor?

The most common degree for geodetic surveyors is high school diploma, with 33% of geodetic surveyors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 33% and bachelor's degree degree at 25%.
  • High School Diploma, 33%
  • Bachelor's, 33%
  • Associate, 25%
  • Diploma, 8%

What should I major in to become a geodetic surveyor?

You should major in business to become a geodetic surveyor. 13% of geodetic surveyors major in business. Other common majors for a geodetic surveyor include engineering and biology.

Most common colleges for geodetic surveyors

Geodetic surveyors often get their degrees at University of South Carolina - Columbia, University of Maryland - College Park, and The University of West Florida. Here are the most common colleges for geodetic surveyors in the US based on their resumes.
Geodetic surveyor common collegePercentages
University of South Carolina - Columbia12.50%
University of Maryland - College Park12.50%
The University of West Florida12.50%
Missouri University of Science and Technology12.50%
American University12.50%

Best majors for geodetic surveyors

RankMajorPercentages
1Business13.3%
2Engineering13.3%
3Biology6.7%
4Drafting And Design6.7%
5Photography6.7%

Best colleges for geodetic surveyors

The best colleges for geodetic surveyors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

A geodetic surveyor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for geodetic surveyors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become geodetic surveyors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

20 best online courses for geodetic surveyors

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1. Survey Data Collection and Analytics

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This specialization covers the fundamentals of surveys as used in market research, evaluation research, social science and political research, official government statistics, and many other topic domains. In six courses, you will learn the basics of questionnaire design, data collection methods, sampling design, dealing with missing values, making estimates, combining data from different sources, and the analysis of survey data. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply the skills learned...

2. Analyze Survey Data with Tableau

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Surveys are used in a variety of scenarios, both in businesses and in research. Companies are using them to better understand consumer insights and feedback, and researchers are going beyond the traditional uses to learn more about the world around us. Tableau can help visualize survey data of all kinds in a useful way—without needing advanced statistics, graphic design, or a statistics background. In this project, learners will learn how to create an account in Tableau and how to manipulate...

3. Statistics / Data Analysis: Survey Data and Likert Scales

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How to Process Survey Data and Analyze Likert Scales In SPSS...

4. The Ultimate Guide for Land Surveying with Drones - Part 3

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Master the use of Ground Control Points (GCPs) to make your UAV mapping projects absolutely survey grade!!...

5. Utilize Survey Monkey as an Evaluation Tool

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Surveys and evaluations can be used to reflect on your training or customer experiences. The data you collect can help to adjust your training and you can find out directly from your employees if they are satisfied. Customers can let you know what they are thinking and what they actually want. In this project you will learn about Survey Monkey as an evaluation tool throughout the cycle of developing an event. By the end of your time in this project you will have multiple evaluation surveys to...

6. Design a User Experience Survey in SurveyMonkey

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By the end of this project you will be able to design a User Experience survey that will collect data to uncover user needs, how products meet those needs, and mine insights that will aid in building and designing solutions. To do this, you will gain hands-on experience designing a User Experience survey with a free account on the SurveyMonkey cloud-based software service. Note: This course works best for learners who are based in the North America region. We’re currently working on providing...

7. Quantity Surveying With Rate Analysis And Take Off-Beginners

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Quantity Surveying, Quantity Takeoff, Estimation, Rate Analysis, Blubeam Revu, Planswift, Costing, Construction Drawings...

8. The Ultimate Guide for Land Surveying with Drones - Part 2

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Learn to work with Pix4D & Drone Deploy outputs on QGIS, Auto CAD & Google Earth. Start your own UAV mapping business now!...

9. Use SurveyMonkey to Create a Survey and Analyze Results

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In this project, we will walk through the survey making process and explore the many ways that SurveyMonkey streamlines and simplifies data collection. We will learn how the program is organized and how it operates, helping you feel comfortable and confident enough to create your own survey to meet your own individual needs. SurveyMonkey is a cloud based survey software which allows its users to create online surveys for free. SurveyMonkey can help move a business in the right direction by...

10. Data Mining Project

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Data Mining Project offers step-by-step guidance and hands-on experience of designing and implementing a real-world data mining project, including problem formulation, literature survey, proposed work, evaluation, discussion and future work. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s MS in Data Science or MS in Computer Science degrees offered on the Coursera platform. These fully accredited graduate degrees offer targeted courses, short 8-week sessions, and...

11. Quantity Surveying Building Estimation BBS with Excel & CAD

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Quantity Surveying, Construction Estimation ,Quantity survey ,Cost Estimation ,Civil engineering, Building Estimation...

12. The Ultimate Guide for Land Surveying with Drones - Part 1

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Master the complete workflow using Drone Deploy, Litchi and Pix4D. Start your own UAV mapping business right away!...

13. Complete KoboToolbox Training Course

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Learn the basic & advanced techniques of developing & deploying mobile survey data collection forms with Kobo Toolbox...

14. Quantity Surveying Templates for Effective Cost Management

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Quantity Surveying, Payment Application, Payment Tracker, Variation, Claim, Material Claim, Guarantees, Price Comparison...

15. 4x1 Data Management/Governance/Security/Ethics Masterclass

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You'll learn about data literacy, Data Quality operations, Data Governance policies and Data Security/Privacy controls...

16. Fundamentals of Data Analysis for Big Data

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This course prepares participants to begin running data analysis on databases...

17. Quantity Surveying Building Estimation,Cad Excel & Planswift

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Quantity Surveying, Quantity Takeoff, BBS In Excel ,Complete Project In Autocad, Project Planning With Primavera P6...

18. Data Governance Fundamentals

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A framework for leveraging your data...

19. Core Spatial Data Analysis: Introductory GIS with R and QGIS

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Become Proficient In Spatial Data Analysis Using R & QGIS By Working On A Real Project - Get A Job In Spatial Data!...

20. Data Governance - The Complete Course for Beginners

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Make yourself standout in meetings about Data Governance. Learn everything that the experts know about Data Governance...

Top 10 most affordable universities for geodetic surveyors

The most affordable schools for geodetic surveyors are California State University - Long Beach, california state university - bakersfield, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for geodetic surveyors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for geodetic surveyors.

1. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

5. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for geodetic surveyors

The hardest universities for geodetic surveyors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for geodetic surveyors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for geodetic surveyors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for geodetic surveyors

The easiest schools for geodetic surveyors to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a geodetic surveyor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for geodetic surveyors.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

Average geodetic surveyor salary by education level

Geodetic surveyor education levelGeodetic surveyor salary
Bachelor's Degree$75,875

Geodetic surveyor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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