Role of Surveying in Civil Engineering Education

Despite the increasing complexity of many surveying operations, this subject area in civil engineering education is receiving less and less attention in the schools. New curricula are being evolved in which surveying instruction continues to be progressively abbreviated. The various factors affecting the purpose and scope of contemporary surveying instructional patterns for civil engineering students are examined and comment is made on the wisdom of displacing traditional surveying courses with courses in measurements. With a look into the future, suggestions are made for optimum use of instructional time still allotted to surveying with respect to the typical role of the graduate civil engineer on field construction operations of all types. The extension of current curriculum planning trends calling for further limitations on surveying instruction seems destined to lead to the virtual elimination of almost all surveying in many first-line, scientifically orientated civil engineering curricula of the near future. Attention should be given to the desirability of offering 5-yr professional engineering curricula providing major training in surveying and limited instruction in certain elements of civil engineering.