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Professional surveyor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a professional surveyor. Professional surveyors usually study surveying, mapping, and hydraulic technologies, civil engineering, or natural resources management. 47% of professional surveyors hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 95 real professional surveyor resumes to see exactly what professional surveyor education sections show.
The most common colleges for professional surveyors are the Michigan Technological University and the Michigan Technological University.
There are also many online professional surveyor courses to help get the education required to be a professional surveyor.
What education do you need to become a professional surveyor?
What degree do you need to be a professional surveyor?
- Bachelor's, 47%
- Associate, 25%
- Master's, 9%
- Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 14%
What should I major in to become a professional surveyor?
- Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies, 21%
- Civil Engineering, 13%
- Psychology, 6%
- Other Majors, 49%
Most common colleges for professional surveyors
| Professional surveyor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Michigan Technological University | 14.29% |
| Glenville State College | 14.29% |
| University of Akron | 7.14% |
| Ferris State University | 7.14% |
| New York University | 3.57% |
Best majors for professional surveyors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies | 21.3% |
| 2 | Civil Engineering | 12.8% |
| 3 | Natural Resources Management | 10.6% |
| 4 | Psychology | 6.4% |
| 5 | Civil Engineering Technologies | 6.4% |
Best colleges for professional surveyors
The best colleges for professional surveyors are Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A professional 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 professional 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 professional surveyors.
1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
2. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
3. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
4. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
5. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
9. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
10. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$9,816
Enrollment
21,047
20 best online courses for professional surveyors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for professional surveyors
The most affordable schools for professional surveyors are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for professional 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 professional surveyors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Socorro, NM • Private
In-state tuition
$7,770
Cost of attendance
21,244
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for professional surveyors
The hardest universities for professional surveyors to get into are Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for professional 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 professional 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. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for professional surveyors
The easiest schools for professional surveyors to get into are Wayland Baptist University, kean university, and life university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a professional 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 professional surveyors.
1. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
2. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
3. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
6. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
7. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
8. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
9. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
10. Hardin-Simmons University
Abilene, TX • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,085
Average professional surveyor salary by education level
| Professional surveyor education level | Professional surveyor salary |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $52,294 |
Professional surveyor education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025