ETSE at NMSU

What is Engineering Technology?

ASEE's Engineering Technology Council defines engineering technology as a profession in which a knowledge of mathematics and natural sciences gained by higher education, experience, and practice is devoted primarily to the implementation and extension of existing technology for the benefit of humanity. Engineering technology education focuses primarily on the applied aspects of science and engineering aimed at preparing graduates for practice in that portion of the technological spectrum closest to the product improvement, manufacturing, and engineering operational functions.

Engineering technology programs are characterized by their focus on application and practice, and their approximately 50/50 mix of theory and laboratory experience. Typically, the faculty hold technical masters degrees (usually in engineering, but occasionally in engineering technology), have significant industrial experience, and many are registered professional engineers.

Engineering technologists have a wide range of careers and job positions open to them because they know how to analyze a problem, and more importantly, they know how to fix the problem.

What is Surveying Engineering?

Surveying Engineering involves the application of knowledge to the analysis, design, and execution of surveying and mapping projects and the design of land mapping and information systems. Surveyors rely on an understanding of the science of surveying measurement and analysis, the legal principles of boundary location, the laws related to boundaries and land use, and applicable mathematical and computational theories and principles when performing this work. Positional accuracy, land planning and development concepts pertinent to subdivision of land and property surveys, land record and land tenure concepts as well as earth-related sciences such as geodesy are each a part of professional surveying. Surveying Engineers work for private surveying or engineering firms, for City, County, State or Federal Highway Departments, for State Lands Commissions, for the US Forest Service and for the US Bureau of Land Management.

You might also hear the term "geomatics" applied to surveying. Geomatics is widely considered to include surveying as well as many of the related "geospatial" professions such as remote sensing, photogrammetry, and Geographic and Land Information Systems (GIS/LIS). While coursework in these areas are required in the NMSU Surveying Engineering program, we have chosen to keep the name "Surveying" as this is still the most widely used term in the U.S.