Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) has unveiled a new program specifically for land surveyors! Starting in Fall 2023, the Land Surveying and Geomatics major will be available to students.
This is the only four-year degree of its type in our region. Most universities only offer land surveying-adjacent majors, like civil engineering or construction management. Students who are interested in land surveying can then complete an additional 24 credit hours in land surveying courses, so they graduate with a survey endorsement.
But with this new SIUE major, students can spend all four years of their college education focused on land surveying and learning everything they need to know before they start their careers.
The program is designed to meet licensure requirements for both Illinois and Missouri. Professors and local surveyors hope that this will promote development in the Metro East region as more surveyors come to SIUE and settle in the area. The major’s eight-semester plan focuses heavily on math and surveying classes, of course, but students will also learn about geography, business and law, which are all important parts of professional surveying. Additionally, some classes will focus exclusively on the latest technologies in the field.
Many of our surveyors and engineers are SIUE alum. Brandon Egelhoff, a former SIUE Cougar and current professional land surveyor at Heneghan and Associates, P.C., notes, “This is a big thing to have in our backyard.” It is, and we can’t wait to see how the program grows!
As SIUE prepares to welcome its first class of Land Surveying and Geomatics majors, we’re thankful to the university for promoting the work and education of land surveyors across the region.
The SIUE Land Surveying and Geomatics program is still developing, so check back at their website here to learn more.