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Engineering

Surveyors

Make exact measurements and determine property boundaries. Provide data relevant to the shape, contour, gravitation, location, elevation, or dimension of land or land features on or near the earth's surface for engineering, mapmaking, mining, land evaluation, construction, and other purposes.

Median salary (BLS)

$75,440

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$47k – $126k

Job outlook

+4% (faster than average)

AI exposure

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports one wage for this occupational group, which covers 2 related roles — so read the median as an approximate group figure, and the range as the truer picture for this specific title. BLS source.

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $99,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Surveyors

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

Typical progression

  1. Surveyors Intern

    Internship

    $36,000

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Surveyors

    Entry / Junior

    $46,880

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Surveyors

    Established

    $75,440

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Surveyors

    Senior

    $100,515

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Direct or conduct surveys to establish legal boundaries for properties, based on legal deeds and titles.
  • •Prepare and maintain sketches, maps, reports, and legal descriptions of surveys to describe, certify, and assume liability for work performed.
  • •Write descriptions of property boundary surveys for use in deeds, leases, or other legal documents.
  • •Verify the accuracy of survey data, including measurements and calculations conducted at survey sites.
  • •Search legal records, survey records, and land titles to obtain information about property boundaries in areas to be surveyed.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Engineering

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.