Curriculum
The Department of Geomatics Engineering (formerly Surveying Engineering) is involved in teaching and research in geomatics technology. The Department offers B.Sc., M.Sc., M. Eng. and Ph.D degrees.
Geomatics Engineering is a small department and that's the way we like it. The class sizes in our department do not exceed 50 students and small class sizes like this are a key indicator of educational quality. There is a close relationship between our faculty and our students. In most cases, faculty members know the names of every student in their classes. Our third and fourth year students have their own project rooms and all our students have dedicated access to a state-of-the-art computer lab which is connected to the Internet. Each class has its own home page and many of our students have their own home pages which they use to advertise themselves to potential employers.
Programme Overview:
The undergraduate degree program in Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary is the only professional level program in geomatics engineering in Western Canada. The program is accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) and the Association of Canada Land Surveyors (ACLS) and has been designed to fulfill all the academic requirements for registration as a land surveyor and professional engineer in any jurisdiction in Canada, with the exception of registration as a land surveyor in the province of Quebec. students wishing to pursue a career in Land Surveying may take certain specified technical electives and obtain a Certificate of Completion from the Western Canadian Board of Examiners. More information may be obtained from the WCBE directly.
Workload:
Over the course of a term students are expected to work approximately one hour outside of class for every hour of lecture. Most laboratories are not designed to be completed during the scheduled lab time. The scheduled lab times are to intended to give students access to the teaching assistance assigned to the course. Laboratories often consist of an in-lab/fieldwork component during which data is collected followed by analysis, interpretation and writing. Students may count on spending at least one hour outside the scheduled lab time for each hour of scheduled lab time. For an average term consisting of five courses, this implies a 60 hour work week, which is considered by an normal load.
Undergraduate Advising:
Students should see the Associate Head (Undergraduate Studies) for advice on their programme. In particular students should seek advice before dropping technical courses in their programme.
Transfer Models:
Technical Institutes.
In the past, transfer models had been prepared, for Survey Technology graduates of BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby BC), NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton AB), SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Calgary AB) and Red River College (Winnepeg MB). Graduates of these institutions, having an honours average (greater than 75%), would receive approximately one year's worth of credits in the first, second and third years of the Geomatics Engineering program at the University of Calgary.
However due to requirements to keep our program accredited by both the Engineering and Surveying professions, these transfer models are currently being revised. Students with diplomas from these schools can expect to receive between 4 and 6 half course equivalents in first, second and senior year courses. Students must first apply for admission to the Schulich School of Engineering. Upon application students' transcripts will be assessed for transfer of first year courses only. Upon admission to the department at the conclusion of first year engineering, students must request that their transcript be re-evaluated for transfer of Geomatics Engineering courses.
Survey Technology graduates from other institutions are invited to apply. Course credits will be awarded on a course-by-course basis.
Note: Students are referred to the Engineering section of the University of Calgary Calendar for complete entrance requirements.
Universities
Transfer models also exist for students who have successfully completed two years of civil engineering at a number of universities in Canada.
Students who have completed university courses in other engineering programs are invited to apply. Course credits for these students will be awarded on a course-by-course basis.
Note: Students are referred to the Engineering section of the University of Calgary Calendar for complete entrance requirements.