Purdue in Indianapolis to offer courses required for state certification

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the job outlook for land surveyors will outpace the average for all other occupations over the next decade. About 3,500 openings nationwide for surveyors are projected each year, on average. To help meet this demand, the Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering plans to offer two courses in land surveying at Purdue University in Indianapolis as early as fall 2025, pending approval from the College of Engineering.

Students enrolled in civil and construction engineering with a concentration in geomatics in West Lafayette may take the two additional courses in engineering surveying and boundary law to fulfill the educational requirements necessary to sit for the Indiana land surveyors licensing exam.

“These courses are being developed in collaboration with the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors (ISPLS) whose members will serve as the course instructors,” said Jinha Jung (PhD ’11), associate professor of civil and construction engineering. “Our industry partners, many of whom are Purdue alumni themselves, have identified a need for more graduating students who are qualified to become licensed land surveyors. Indianapolis is the ideal location to provide these courses because of the proximity to several large and notable construction firms, facilitating student access to industry professionals.”

At one time, Purdue offered a minor in land surveying. Following the retirement of Steven Johnson, professor emeritus of civil engineering, in 2017, the program was phased out, but interest from students remained while workforce demand has increased.

After meeting with the president of ISPLS, Jung began leading the effort to re-establish the approved land surveying curriculum at Purdue. Currently, the only other program in the state of Indiana is offered by Vincennes University although its focus is primarily on working professionals. At Purdue, the coursework will cover traditional survey methods as well as new technologies such as GPS surveying, aerial surveying with drones and LiDAR.

“As a research institution, Purdue is positioned to offer the best of both worlds to our students,” Jung said. “We can cultivate research interest through our rigorous academic curriculum as well as offer an opportunity for job placement for those interested in entering the industry directly upon graduation. Adding these two courses in land surveying expands our capacity to serve our students.”