Page 9 - ESS Summer 2023

Continued from previous page
makeup, right of entry laws, road safety laws, Dig-safe, OSHA, writing courses are the exception. These courses and their con-
federal contracting, and other such survey specific areas will not tent are appreciated by employers.)
be covered in a course taught by the business school. For 30 years I have examined hundreds of employment-sur-
The second condition thwarting the introduction of business veys prepared by alumni and survey employers sent by the
and management courses into a surveying program is the diffi- University for program self-improvement. In those 30 years and
culty in fitting more courses into a surveying degree program. after review of hundreds of documents, I have yet to see a sin-
Universities limit the maximum number of credits for a bachelor gle employer or alumni say how useful artistic expression and
of science degree. ABET accreditation requires certain courses similar courses have been toward their career. The mention of
and credit hours. NCEES has established topics covered in the these courses is a common occurrence but only under a catego-
FS exam that must be covered in the academic program. Finally, ry where alumni cite courses of no use in their life and wasted
the university requires all students at the university take certain tuition money.
courses for the regional accreditation the university maintains. Having given my opinion, I now offer advice by suggesting

If the reader will indulge me, I will get upon a soapbox re- professional societies that advocate for surveying programs also
garding the last limitation mentioned - that is University accred- look at the courses in the survey program to ensure there are
itation requirements. I have found it frustrating that regional business and management courses that provide the graduate
accreditation often requires courses such as diversity, artistic with the knowledge to become leaders in both the profession,
expression, humanities, and other general education courses community, and a surveying business.
popular among liberal arts faculty but worthless in a business † Other books and articles by Knud can be found at https://umaine.
or a professional environment. (Not all general education is dis- edu/svt/faculty/hermansen-articles/ n
missed by practitioners. Course such as communication and

www . LSA W. or g 9