Surveying technology programs prepare people to locate boundaries for tracts of land, water, and other land features. Students learn to map, chart, traverse, and use survey equipment. They also learn geometry and how to use computers.

Imagine that you are working as part of a team, whose project is to dig a tunnel through a mountain. From each side of the mountain, engineers and excavation workers bore into the rock. Their goal is to meet in the center and turn the two shafts into one tunnel. Your job, as surveyor, is to see that the two shafts are perfectly aligned so that they meet up exactly. A century ago the technology was already good enough to achieve this with only a few inches of error. Nowadays it is possible to do even better.

Because of new technology, you cannot expect to learn surveying on the job as they did in days of old. With two years of full-time study beyond high school, you can earn an associate's degree in this field. About 70 colleges offer this program. You study math so that you can understand surveying calculations. You study science to understand the principles behind surveying equipment. You also learn how to operate that equipment. The technology is advancing rapidly. Devices that use the Global Positioning System are replacing many of the classic surveying tools. Computers are now being used to generate drawings, draw maps, and store information about geographic features.

You can also earn a certificate in this field in less than two years. These programs usually skip the supporting liberal arts colleges and focus on what you do on the job.

With either an associate's degree or a certificate, you can probably work as a surveying technician. You may operate surveying equipment at a site planned for a building. You may record data and make sketches. Back at the office, you may enter or transfer data to a computer. Using the computer, you may generate a diagram or specifications.

To work as a land surveyor, you generally need four years of college, which earns you a bachelor's degree. About 20 colleges offer this program. Compared to the two-year program, the four-year program gives you a better grounding in theory. You study more math and computer science. You study economics, an important factor in construction projects. You study survey office procedures. Often you must complete a senior project that gives you experience solving real surveying problems.

As a land surveyor, you plan the work that the survey party will do in the field. You may research legal records to determine existing property boundaries and decide on important surface features to look for in the field. You supervise the survey part at the site. You may issue a report describing a property for a deed or other legal document. (To establish property boundaries, you must be licensed by your state.) Or you may provide data to engineers to guide their planning for a construction project.