Professional Land Surveying Courses (Credit)

Description

These courses are designed for professionals currently working in the land surveying field who wish to become registered Professional Land Surveyors in Massachusetts. All courses are held online in the evenings to accommodate working adults. We offer two courses each semester; students may enroll in as many courses as they would like. Courses confer college credits.

In Spring 2025, we will offer:

• CM230 Massachusetts Statutes and Regulations (3 credits)
• CM375 Applications of Advanced Survey Technology (3 credits)

Courses are highly affordable at $610/per credit. Many employers will pay some or all the tuition. We are proud to be the only college in Massachusetts that offers these types of land surveying courses, and we are committed to making them flexible and relevant for those who seek to become registered Professional Land Surveyors in the state.

Please see below for course details.

How to Enroll

If you are looking to enroll as a new student: please complete our ONLINE APPLICATION by January 10, 2025.

• • Choose Nondegree Seeking Student as your Student Type
  • Choose Individual Course as your type of course and then select Professional Land Surveyor as your course name
  • Paste the specific course number/name you wish to take into the open text field.

If you are a current student seeking to register for another course, please reach out to your Student Success Coach, or email cewp@franklincummings.edu.

Eligibility: Applicants must have professional experience working in the land surveying field.  Credits can only be awarded to Massachusetts residents.

Course Details

Current Offerings:

CM230: MASSACHUSETTS STATUTES AND REGULATIONS (Spring 2025)
Session: 14 weeks
Classes Start: January 21, 2025
Day/Time: Tuesdays, 5:30 – 8:30pm
Credits: 3 credits
Tuition: $610 per credit ($1,830 for course)
Course Delivery: Online
Instructor: Terry McGovern, Registered Land Surveyor

This course involves the study of those regulations directly affecting the practice of land surveying in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts such as the Registration Law (MGL Chap. 112, Secs. 81D-81T), the regulations of the Board of Registration of Professional Engineers and of Land Surveyors (250 CMR), the Subdivision Control Law (MGL Chap. 41), the Zoning Act (MGL Chap 40A) and the Massachusetts Land Court Manual of Instructions. Students will be introduced to other bodies of regulations often encountered in the practice of land surveying such as municipal subdivision regulations, the Wetlands Protection Act, and the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act. Emphasis is on applying the various regulations in a professional practice.

CM375: APPLICATIONS OF ADVANCED SURVEY TECHNOLOGY (Spring 2025)
Session: 14 weeks
Classes Start: January 16, 2025
Day/Time: Thursdays, 5:30 – 8:30pm
Credits: 3 credits per course
Tuition: $610 per credit ($1,830 for course)
Course Delivery: Online
Instructor: Terry McGovern, Registered Land Surveyor

This course introduces the student to the various technologies currently used in land surveying and data acquisition applications. Theory and application are taught in the use of Total Stations, Photogrammetry, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as well as recent applications of Drone Survey technology and Laser Scanning. Emphasis is on understanding how the technology works and its application to various tasks within the land surveying profession.
Prerequisite: Students must have some professional experience with land surveying.

Future Courses:

CM275: PRINCIPLES OF BOUNDARY LAW II (Summer 2025)
Session: 14 weeks
Classes Start: May 13, 2025
Day/Time: Tuesdays, 5:30 – 8:30pm
Credits: 3 credits per course
Tuition: $610 per credit ($1,830 for course)
Course Delivery: Online
Instructor: Terry McGovern, Registered Land Surveyor

Building on the principles taught in Principles of Boundary Law I, this course covers special topics such as water boundaries, unwritten transfers, and writing legal descriptions, along with the roles of statute and case law in the boundary decision process.  Students will be introduced to case law relating to boundary disputes, evidence, easements, adverse possession, rights of access and other topics. Students will complete a final project that will involve the application of legal principles to an actual surveying problem, requiring them to make boundary decisions involving conflicting evidence. Drawing on case law and real-life examples, students will grapple with the same types of questions that appear on the exams to become a registered Professional Land Surveyor.
Prerequisite: Principles of Boundary Law I or another introductory course on boundary law.

CM370: SURVEYING AND GEOMATICS II W/ LAB (Summer 2025)
Session: 14 weeks
Classes Start: May 14, 2025
Day/Time: Thursdays, 5:30 – 8:30pm, plus lab instruction Wednesdays 5:30 – 6:30pm
Credits: 4 credits per course
Tuition: $610 per credit ($2,440 for course)
Course Delivery: Lectures are online. Lab is done remotely.
Instructor: Terry McGovern, Registered Land Surveyor

This course includes traverse calculation, error analysis, applications of coordinate geometry, horizontal and vertical curve calculations, introduction to geodetic survey principles, basic map projection calculations and the introduction to, and use of, data collection equipment and software. Labs include layout of horizontal and vertical curves, field techniques for boundary layout, data collection and site detail mapping. The purpose of the course is to provide the mathematical and analysis skills to perform a field traverse, analyze and adjust the results according to fundamental principles and prepare work and final documents as deliverables in a professional setting. This course includes a lecture session and a weekly field/drafting lab session (offered remotely).

Prerequisite: CM330 Survey and Geomatics I. Students must have access to survey equipment.

CM270: PRINCIPLES OF BOUNDARY LAW I (Fall 2025)
Session: 14 weeks
Classes Start: September 2, 2025
Day/Time: Tuesdays, 5:30 – 8:30pm
Credits: 3 credits per course
Tuition: $610 per credit ($1,830 for course)
Course Delivery: Online
Instructor: Terry McGovern, Registered Land Surveyor

This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of boundary law, including the creation of boundaries, nature of title, legal descriptions of property, methods of conveying title, researching property title and boundaries, identifying basic components of deeds, easements, water boundaries, and resolving basic boundary conflicts. The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a strong fundamental understanding of the aspects of property rights, interests and nature of title and how it can be affected by actions, deeds and the law and familiarize the student with the various definitions and legal terms used in the surveying and conveyancing professions. The course is designed to teach concepts that appear frequently in the exams to become a registered Professional Land Surveyor.

CM330: SURVEYING AND GEOMATICS I W/ LAB (Fall 2025)
Session: 14 weeks
Classes Start: September 4, 2025
Day/Time: Thursdays, 5:30 – 8:30pm, plus lab instruction Wednesdays 5:30 – 6:30pm
Credits: 4 credits per course
Tuition: $610 per credit ($2,440 for course)
Course Delivery: Lectures are online. Lab is done remotely.
Instructor: Terry McGovern, Registered Land Surveyor

This course introduces the student to the fundamental theories and techniques for horizontal and vertical measurements. The course combines emphasis on mathematical skills related to surveying measurements with applications of the use of survey instruments including automatic levels and total stations. Basic skills and knowledge of areas including horizontal and slope measurements, differential, profile and trigonometric leveling, traversing, data collection and fundamental construction layout techniques are taught. The course includes online lectures and a weekly field lab (offered remotely).
Prerequisite: Students must have some professional experience with land surveying and access to survey equipment.

Scholarships

The MALSCE Education Trust was founded to enhance the profession of land surveying and civil engineering in Massachusetts by providing scholarship and education grants for the students of land surveying and civil engineering who are Massachusetts residents.

See the full scholarship criteria and apply for the MALSCE Survey Certificate Scholarship at www.malsce.org/education-trust.