Land surveying student Gregory Ross shares his summer internship experience with Morrison County Land Services.
Everywhere we go, everywhere we look – businesses, houses, apartments, parks, roads – the work of a land surveyor evaluated where it is to be located with precise measurements, determining the legal property boundaries.
This summer, two of St. Cloud State’s land surveying students completed internships in land surveying. Their experiences were quite contrasting – one traveling the country for a commercial land surveying company and the other immersed in data and mapping projects at the Morrison County Land Services Office.
St. Cloud State University land surveying professor, Eric Fuller, said students complete the required internship after their first year where they apply what they have learned in the classroom. Internships are valuable because students are able to get their hands on the industry’s latest technology.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, salaries for licensed land surveyors start at $71,000 with a faster-than-average job growth rate of 11 percent. And the job market is hot right now. “Most of our students are getting employment with the place they do an internship with,” said Fuller.
Close to Home
Gregory Ross completed his internship with Morrison County Land Services in Little Falls, Minnesota as a Geographic Information Science (GIS)/Survey intern – a leisurely stroll up Highway 10 from his home in Sartell.
Ross will admit that he was initially overwhelmed with the tasks he was assigned, but came to embrace and enjoy them. Working on both land surveying and GIS projects, he was able to experience their significant differences, yet see how they are related.
His primary survey-related project had him creating an index of all surveying records within with County Recorder’s Office. “With each record, I take note of as many identifying or unique qualities that will allow someone to search the drafted index for specific records based off the Public Land Survey System (PLSS),” Ross describes.
A map of the potential feedlot development in Granite Township in Morrison County created by Ross.
Once the index with over 2,400 records was complete, the County Surveyor tasked Ross with locating missing government corners that the County Surveyor can then certify.
On the GIS side of his internship, he created maps of each township in Morrison County to showcase the five different agriculture zoning types that are possible within the county, which will establish the standard of potential dwelling development within agricultural zoned parcels.
Ross speaks very highly of his internship experience, “I could not have asked for more.”
He takes away with him how connected all of a government’s offices are – appraisals, permits, Next Generation 9-1-1 – they all have ties to land surveying and GIS. And on the technical side, he has become proficient in multiple software programs relevant to his degree.
Ross walks away from his internship having a great experience. He highly recommends every student – no matter the degree – to seek out an internship or job opportunity to learn about the field they are studying before graduation.
On the Road
Elness’ set up for aerial targets for aerial photography control in Montana.
Tyler Elness’ internship experience took him to 16 of the 50 states and boasts over 20,000 miles on the road as a crew chief with Westwood Professional Services, a national company with a headquarters in Minneapolis, Phoenix, Denver, Kansas City and St. Cloud.
Each week brought new adventures for Elness. Various projects involved ALTA (American Land Title Association) surveys for wind and solar farms and transmission lines, topographical surveys, and setting aerial targets for control on the ground for aerial surveys completed by airplanes or drones in the air above.
Elness says the work he has done with and for Westwood this summer has developed his communication and leadership skills along with gaining more knowledge on the trade itself. “You need to be able to communicate and work with your co-workers along with Westwood’s clients,” he said.
The communication and leadership skills he takes with him will be used forever. He feels those skills will be especially important as he advances in his career.
When asked what advice he would give students going into an internship, Elness suggests going into the internship with an open mind and to take away as much knowledge and experience as possible. “The skills you learn in the early stages of your career will help you progress into a professional,” he said.
Dual Enrollment with St. Cloud Technical & Community College
Beginning fall of 2019, St. Cloud State University’s Department of Geography & Planning is teaming up with St. Cloud Technical & Community College’s Land Surveying & Civil Engineering program to offer a dual enrollment program in land surveying.
The early nineties brought changes to Minnesota’s land surveying laws in which a 4-year degree was now required where previously only a 2-year degree was needed. St. Cloud State currently offers the only 4-year land surveying degree program in the six-state Upper Midwest.
The new dual enrollment program will save students time and money as they work towards a 4-year degree. Students will focus only on the land surveying (not the civil engineering) aspect of the program at St. Cloud Technical & Community College and will be able to graduate with a bachelor’s degree without exceeding 120 credits.
Many of the land surveying courses at St. Cloud State are available online and the majority of students complete the program that way.
For more information about the program, contact Professor Eric Fuller.
