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How Do I Become a Land Surveyor?

You require certification through the Association of British Columbia Land Surveyors to work as a Land Surveyor in BC.  To apply for registration as a land surveyor, you must first complete the land surveyor in training program.

Land surveyor in training program

To apply for registration in the land surveyor in training program, you must provide:

  • a Certificate of Completion (CofC) from the Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors – CBEPS**

Or

  • a British Columbia Institute of Technology Bachelor Degree in Geomatics

And

an Articling Agreement with a practising land surveyor.

**The Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors (CBEPS) establishes, assesses and certifies the academic qualifications of individuals who apply to become land surveyors and/or geomatics professionals in Canada.

After registering in the land surveyor in training program, you must successfully complete the following in order to be registered as a Land Surveyor:

  • a term of articles – in order to develop key land surveying competencies, you must complete 24 months with a practising land surveyor who has been practising for a minimum 3 years.
  • two field project reports
  • the professional examination
  • the professional assessment interview
  • take an oath or affirmation before a member of the Board.

Land surveyor associate program

For people already registered as practising land surveyors in a Canadian jurisdiction other than British Columbia -- a land surveyor associate must successfully complete the jurisdictional examination only.

 

Qualified Land Surveyor from Jurisdictions Outside of Canada

The Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors (CBEPS) manages the process for Foreign Trained Land Surveyors (FTLS) to apply for registration in Canada.In order to become eligible, a candidate must have a Certificate of Completion (CofC), issued by the CBEPS.A certificate of completion of academic requirements for professional surveyors will be issued upon:

  • proof of sufficient academic qualifications (minimum entrance requirement to become a CBEPS candidate as ‘Foreign Trained’ is graduation from a two-year geomatics or surveying program at a technical institute or from a degree program at a university)

Followed by:

  • by successful completion of examinations set by the CBEPS,
    OR
  • or by a combination of academic qualifications and completion examinations.

Foreign-trained land surveyors who have had their academic qualifications certified by the Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors and received a Certificate of Completion may be recognized as a ‘Land Surveyor in Training’. Foreign Trained Land Surveyors (FTLS) Land Surveyors in Training must then complete a term of articles under a practising land surveyor, complete field project reports, and may then become eligible to sit the professional examination and professional assessment interview

Academic & Technical Requirements for Foreign Trained Applicants