Career Explorers: Engineering vs. Surveying – What’s the Difference?

Someone recently asked us what’s the difference between an engineer and a surveyor – and you know what? We didn’t know!

In true Explore Careers fashion, we decided to find the answer – and we learned a lot along the way that we know many of you will definitely be interested to learn too.

So, let’s explore – what is the difference between engineering and surveying?

Engineers & Surveyors: It’s a Match!

While they are two different roles with different focuses, they do go hand in hand in many respects.

Here’s a brief overview of what each role does:

• Surveyors: Surveyors conduct surveys of plots of land to establish measurements, lines and points that building, construction, and engineering projects will refer back to in their designs and developments. Surveyors are usually the first professionals on a site, gathering all the data that other professionals will require to do their work effectively and accurately.
• Engineers: There are many different types of engineers, so for this article and to focus within construction, we’ll focus on Civil Engineers. Civil Engineers also get involved with projects at the very early stages, envisaging, designing, supervising and maintaining a wide range of projects. They tend to focus on urban developments, from office buildings to housing, bridges to dams, airports to shopping centres.

Another way to think about this is to see surveyors as the data people and civil engineers as the design people.

There’s a lot of overlap between the two roles. Some Surveyors go on to become fully qualified as Civil Engineers to deliver in both roles, but they are separate professions, too – with different entry pathways and qualification requirements.

The Pathway to Becoming a Surveyor

There are two pathways to becoming a surveyor in Australia:

1. Study a surveying degree

If you choose the degree pathway, you’ll need to check the entry requirements by the university and work to achieve the ATAR required to get into your chosen course.

Throughout your degree, it’s essential to take on work experience and internships and show commitment to group projects to boost your technical and work-based skills as much as possible.

Each state in Australia has a different requirement for the practical training hours you should complete alongside industry-specific exams set by your state’s surveyor board.

Once you’ve ticked all the boxes, you can register to become a licensed surveyor and get stuck into your chosen career!

2. Become a survey assistant through a traineeship or apprenticeship. 

In some states, it’s possible to become a surveyor’s assistant and enter the field without formal qualifications, but you can improve your chances of landing a role by completing a relevant qualification, for example:

• Certificate III in Surveying and Spatial Information Services
• Certificate IV in Surveying

Both are offered through TAFE.

You can also complete a Level 4 Traineeship in surveying, which takes 36months to complete. This can progress into a relevant apprenticeship, but this will depend on what your local providers and employers have available, so it’s worth checking in with your school careers advisor and local apprenticeship providers.

The Pathway to Becoming a Civil Engineer

To qualify as a Civil Engineer, you’ll need to complete a four-year bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering as a minimum.

These degree programs include a substantial amount of work-based placements that you’ll need to complete to meet the qualification requirements (for many universities, this is a minimum of 100 hours completed on an approved placement, but some may require more hours).

To work as a Civil Engineer post-study, you’ll need to register for a Professional Engineer’s Licence based on the requirements of the state you live in. These requirements usually include your degree qualification and practical experience – some may require an entrance exam.

A Quick Look at the Skills Needed

Now you know a bit more about the two different roles, what types of skills are best suited to each pathway – and where do they overlap in their skills?

Let’s take a look:

Engineering Skills	The Overlap	Surveying Skills
Interpersonal Critical reasoning Creativity Innovation Enthusiasm Personal Motivation	Problem Solving Analytical Skills Decision-Making Up-to-date technical knowledge Communication Leadership Teamwork Presentation Skills	Interpretative Skills Data Collection Precision Numerical Fact Finding Commitment

Find Out More

So, there you have it! Surveying and engineering: two vital roles that work together, offering a different set of skills and services to support the industry!

If you’re keen to learn more about these career pathways and the other types of roles you could explore, make sure you check out our Building, Construction and Engineering Industry Profile.