ESF Academic Catalog
Land Surveying Technology (A.A.S.)
Land surveying technology students obtain a sound technical background in fundamental land surveying principles, techniques and skills, augmented by field training in forestry and natural resources concepts and techniques. They become well-rounded technical specialists capable of teamwork, communication and problem solving, with life-long learning skills and abilities.
The program provides students with a unique and highly valued combination of surveying and land resource knowledge and related skills. Students gain basic field skills in tree identification, ecological concepts, natural resources measurements, geographic information systems, and the use and maintenance of hand and power tools, while also being exposed to focused topics including subdivision surveys, boundary surveys, construction and topographic surveying, survey law, and more. Graduates are well prepared to enter the field of land surveying through a carefully planned combination of classroom lectures, demonstrations and hands-on experience. Students earning this degree are also positioned to pursue New York State licensure in land surveying. The educational program in land surveying technology, leading to the associate of applied science degree in land surveying technology, is accredited by the ETAC Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org/.
Students wishing to pursue a baccalaureate degree may wish to investigate programs in the Sustainable Resources Management Department such as Construction Management. The Ranger School also has an articulation agreement with SUNY Alfred State for students wishing to pursue a baccalaureate in the land surveying field.
The first year land surveying technology curriculum consists of general studies courses which may be taken at any accredited four-year, community, or technical college.
First Year Required Courses
| Course | Codes* | Credits |
| General Biology with lab | G | 4 |
| Physics with a lab | G | 4 |
| English with a Focus on Writing (Two 3-credit courses) | G | 6 |
| Trigonometry or pre-calculus (1 course) | G | 3 |
| Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Justice | G | 3 |
| Total Maximum Transfer Credits | 20 |
Second Year Required Courses
| Course Number | Course | Codes * | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| FTC 200 | Dendrology | 3 | |
| FTC 202 | Intro To Surveying | 3 | |
| FTC 204 | Intro/Nat Res Measurements | 4 | |
| FTC 205 | Comp-Aided Draftng&Dsgn I | 2 | |
| FTC 206 | Forest Ecology | 4 | |
| FTC 207 | Communications and Safety | 3 | |
| FTC 208 | Remote Sensing and GIS | 3 | |
| FTC 214 | Leadership & Orgnztnl Perfrmnc | 2 | |
| FTC 225 | Timber Transportn&Utilization | 2 | |
| FTC 239 | GIS Practicum | 1 | |
| FTC 251 | Adv Survey Measure&Comp | 4 | |
| FTC 253 | Survey Law | 3 | |
| FTC 255 | Boundary Surveying | 3 | |
| FTC 256 | Subdivision Surveys | 2 | |
| FTC 257 | Construction&Topo Surveys | 3 | |
| FTC 259 | Cmptr-Aided Draftng & Dsgn II | 2 |
Total Minimum Credits For Degree: 64
* Special Course Codes (Code indicates course meets certain program or
accreditation requirements. Ignore if there is no relevance to this program of study.)
G =
General Education Course (GenEd), E = Engineering, ES = Engineering Sciences, M =
Mathematic, NS = Natural Sciences, PE = Professional Education, S = Summer-only