Louisiana’s only geomatics (surveying and mapping) program, located at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, distinguishes the state as one of nearly half of the nation’s schools offering such programs for an industry seeking better-trained employees. Similar programs are now being offered at more colleges and universities in an attempt to help the surveying industry solve its current challenges, said Terry Dantin, head of the Department of Applied Sciences and coordinator of Nicholls’ geomatics program. Among these challenges are a decreased workforce, high average ages among surveyors and an increased workload.

Currently, the surveying industry has half the workforce needed. While it loses workers to factors such as retirement and death, the average age among available land surveyors is 54.

In 2000, the Louisiana Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors (LAPELS) announced they wanted to establish a four-year surveying and mapping degree at one of the state’s universities. Six universities, including Nicholls, submitted proposals for the program. Nicholls was selected and later approved for the program by the Louisiana Board of Regents in the spring of 2003.

Geomatics classes have been offered at Nicholls since the summer of 2003. Currently, 45 students are majoring in geomatics. This past spring, two students became the program’s first graduates. Four more are expected to graduate this fall, while six others will earn their degrees in the spring.

While surveyors are now needed to rebuild and relocate levees damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Dantin said the demand for surveyors is not limited to Louisiana. “It’s national (and) international,” said Dantin, who has regularly received phone calls from employers seeking workers. “There’s a tremendous need.”

The skills learned in surveying and mapping programs can also be used to make maps and monitor traffic patterns, among other things.

Because the program has not had many graduates so far, Dantin said it cannot currently apply for accreditation, which requires feedback from employers of the program’s alumni. “You have to see how they’re doing in terms of what we’ve taught them,” Dantin said. “This tells us if we’re doing the right things plus it gives us a means by which we can evaluate what we’re doing and adjust accordingly.”

The program will be requesting a visit for accreditation next fall.

While the program has targeted its recruiting efforts in the parishes near Nicholls, Dantin said it is working to increase its recruiting base. One possibility involves working with community colleges to transfer credits students earned to be applied towards their geomatics degrees. “Being the only school in Louisiana, we’re trying to draw from all over Louisiana,” Dantin explained. “Since we’re going to be the feeder for the professional surveyors for the state of Louisiana, we need to address the whole state in recruiting.”

Another project being developed in the program by Balaji Ramachandran, assistant professor of geomatics, is a mapping center where geographic information can be stored and eventually accessed on campus by surveyors.

The initial requirements to become a licensed professional surveyor are a Bachelor of Science degree in any field and 30 hours of surveying courses. After earning undergraduate degrees, students must take a surveying-in-training exam, covering the fundamentals of surveying. Then, they must work at least four years under a registered land surveyor, including two years in a supervisory position. Finally, they must pass a professional exam before they are certified.

While most students in Nicholls’ curriculum are recent high school graduates, Dantin said college graduates now working in the surveying field return to work towards their professional land surveyors’ license. Because they already have a Bachelor of Science degree in any field, they must only complete 30 hours of survey-related courses before continuing their work towards their licenses.

In addition to courses and labs in which students are taught about the techniques, instruments and math used in surveying and mapping, students are also required to take courses involving law, real estate and business communications. Dantin said these courses will help them in various aspects of their job, such as making presentations, looking through legal records and determining property lines. Students are also required to complete internships at surveying firms.