Major creates ‘employer’s
dream’
By Patricia Nikolaros
Staff
Writer
When engineering undergraduate students are asked
what their major is, the majority say they are either a freshman or
an electrical and computer engineering student.
The reason for this is because 3,516 of the 6,233
undergraduate students in engineering are in these two concentrations.
However, there is another major in engineering
that only has 11 students - land surveying, or geomatics.
Rich Oman, a junior in the Schools of Engineering,
said, "I usually receive the same reaction from most people when I tell
them my major — 'You need a degree for that?'"
The official University count for those in land
surveying is 11 students; however, Steve Johnson, a professor in geomatics
engineering, said there are actually 47 degree candidates in the program.
Land survey students are encouraged to follow a
five-year program, which will get them two degrees, one in land surveying
engineering and the other in civil engineering.
Boudewijn H.W. Van Gelder, an associate professor
in geomatics engineering, said, "The problem we have with Purdue counting
students is that Purdue lists our students as civil engineer students."
Oman said the reason that there seems to be so
few students in land surveying is most people do not even know about
the program and what it is. "They do not realize that we do not just
stand on the side of the road and look through an instrument," said
Oman.
Johnson, who said more freshmen are asking about
the program every year, describes the student interest as an upside-down
distribution.
"In most majors, all the students join as a freshman
or sophomore; however, most land survey majors join when they are juniors
or seniors," Johnson said.
There are many opportunities for land survey graduates.
They may go to graduate school or go into fields like land development,
subdivision design and mapping.
Van Gelder said, "We should have many more students
in our program. For instance, we were approached by the California Department
of Transportation two years ago because they wanted to hire 100 survey
engineers, and that number was more than all the land survey seniors
in the United States."
Oman may get criticism for his major, but he has
no problem learning in it. "It is not weird or different being one of
few students in this program, mainly because in the classroom it is
easier to interact with other students and professors," said Oman. "Being
in the smaller class environment is very comfortable for me."
Van Gelder said, "Our interaction between students
and faculty is extremely intense because of the relatively small size.
I would say we are a closely-knit group."
Oman added, "The land survey program at Purdue
is one of the best in the country, mainly because of the resources available
to us and the faculty."
Johnson received a note from an employer following
the interviews of some degree candidates; the note praised the land
survey program. The note said, "The dual program, offering a land survey
major coupled with a general civil engineering background is an employer's
dream and is a program which is of great benefit to both the students
and industry."
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