education, licensing and standards
A professional surveyor has the education and the experience to meet the public’s needs!
No matter what their area of practice, surveyors have extensive education and diverse skill sets. They apply current and emerging technologies to historic, legal, and human aspects of land information management.
Education, licensing, and standards of professional practise are all designed to protect the public. The values of integrity, accountability, honesty, and commitment to learning are inherent in the surveying profession.
Education
Professional surveying calls for accuracy, precision, logical thinking, sound judgment, and a diverse knowledge base. It is a blend of a high degree of scientific skill with a solid understanding of property law. Surveying also calls for solid investigative, problem solving, and communication skills. That’s why surveying is both an art and a science!
The baseline standard of education for a professional surveyor is a university degree with a high concentration of math and science combined with components of law, land planning, project management, business, and ethics.
Boundary determination is one of many specializations that a professional surveyor may have. Other specializations and disciplines that form the complete profession include geodesy, hydrography, photogrammetry, remote sensing, and geographic information.
Interested in post-secondary educational opportunities for surveying? Learn about available opportunities.
Licensing
Professional surveyors who determine boundaries are licensed by one or more of the eleven licensing bodies for surveying in Canada.
In order to be licensed, a professional surveyor must:
- satisfy extensive educational requirements;
- undergo a period of supervised work experience; and
- pass professional examinations;
which are all regulated by professional statute law.
Once licensed, professional surveyors must adhere to a professional code of ethics, meet continued professional development requirements, and are subject to strict rules of accountability.
Standards
Professional surveyors have technical and ethical standards for their work. Standards for licensed surveyors are set by the licensing bodies in each jurisdiction where they work. All licensed surveyors who offer services to the public carry professional liability insurance.
