Land Surveying and Geomatics Certification (LSGC) Program

The Land Surveying and Geomatics Certification (LSGC) program defines a group of courses offered by the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Department of Engineering that are formulated to meet the Tennessee Board of Examiners for Land Surveyors (TBELS) requirements to apply for licensure as a Professional Land Surveyor (PLS).

Students completing B.S. degree requirements in a science-based undergraduate curriculum and taking 24 semester hours of surveying-specific course work are qualified to apply for licensure as a PLS by the TBELS under Category B (TCA 62-18-109). Completion of the licensure process requires passing all exams as specified by the TBELS along with having two years of work experience under a licensed surveyor.

The TBELS further defines course work meeting Category B criteria as 24 semester hours of acceptable courses relating directly to surveying. Courses are selected from a grouping of courses by the TBELS designated as List I, II, or III. A minimum of 18 hours must be equivalent to courses from List I and the remainder from List II or III. The TBELS maintains a list of pre-approved courses (List I, II and III) on its Website: (http://www.state.tn.us/commerce/boards/surveyors/).

The following courses, offered at The University of Tennessee at Martin, are formulated to meet the TBELS criteria for a Category B application process. A minimum grade of C is required for all List I and List II courses taken for Land Surveying and Geomatics Certification.

List I Courses

(Minimum of 18 hours required)

Required

ENGR 350 - Principles of Land Surveying and Geomatics Credit(s): 3
AGET 354 - Advanced Land Surveying and Geomatics Credit(s): 3
AGET 454 - Land Surveying with GPS Credit(s): 3
AGET 456 - Boundary Control and Legal Principles Credit(s): 3
AGET 458 - Subdivision Site Planning and Development Credit(s): 3

Electives

(Choose minimum of one)

ENGR 352 - Transportation Engineering Credit(s): 3
ENGR 490 - Special Topics (Title of Topic) Credit(s): 1-3
GEOG 471 - Cartography Credit(s): 3
AGRI 270 - Introduction to Geospatial Technology Credit(s): 3

List II Courses

(Minimum of six hours required)

Required

AGET 220 - Surveying and Soil and Water Engineering Credit(s): 3

Electives

(Choose minimum of one)

AGET 482 - Principles of GIS and GPS for Agricultural and Natural Resource Management Credit(s): 3
ENGR 353 - Hydraulics and Hydrology Credit(s): 3
GEOG 310 - Principles of Geographic Information Systems Credit(s): 3
GEOG 364 - Introduction to Remote Sensing Credit(s): 3
GEOG 410 - Geographic Information Systems: Modeling and Applications Credit(s): 3
PLSC 341 - Dendrology and Forest Ecology Credit(s): 3

Qualification:

It is the applicant’s responsibility to meet all TBELS requirements for licensure. License requirements are specified on the TBELS website (www.state.tn.us/commerce/boards/surveyors/index.shtml) and applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the TBELS Director at (615) 741-3611 to coordinate all aspects of the application process. The University of Tennessee at Martin does not warrant or guarantee that students completing the LSGC program will be granted permission to sit for the Fundamentals of Land Surveying examination. The TBELS has the sole authority to approve or disapprove an application for PLS licensure.