Ohio·Architecture and Engineering Occupations·SOC 17-3031

Best Surveying programs in Ohio, ranked by enrollment

Perform surveying and mapping duties, usually under the direction of an engineer, surveyor, cartographer, or photogrammetrist, to obtain data used for construction, mapmaking, boundary location, mining, or other purposes.

18 schools in Ohio run programs that feed this job, graduating 252 people a year. The job pays a median of $60,330 in Ohio across about 1,350 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledSurvey TechnicianMapping TechnicianPhotogrammetric TechnicianPhotogrammetric Compilation SpecialistRodmanStakerChainmanLevelman
Graduates / yr
252
in Ohio
Median pay · Ohio
$60,330
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,350
people employed
Schools
18
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
49%
across those schools
Median net price
$18,325
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Ohio that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

3 programs in Ohio that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Ohio (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Ohio page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 45.0702In Ohio
160
63.5%
13$38,944$22,762
2
CIP 15.1102In Ohio
75
29.8%
5$59,013
3
CIP 45.0701In Ohio
17
6.7%
7$38,944$22,762

Top 18 schools in Ohio

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 2 of the 18 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Miami University - Oxford
Oxford, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
39Geographic Information Science and Cartography80%75%
2University of Akron Main Campus
Akron, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
36Surveying Technology/Surveying52%60%
3University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Cincinnati, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
30Geographic Information Science and Cartography75%85%
4Columbus State Community College
Columbus, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
28Geographic Information Science and Cartography28%
5Ohio University - Main Campus
Athens, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
28Geographic Information Science and Cartography$33,19965%85%
6Wright State University - Main Campus
Dayton, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
20Geographic Information Science and Cartography42%96%
7Kent State University at Kent
Kent, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
16Geographic Information Science and Cartography$31,41464%86%
8Ohio State University - Main Campus
Columbus, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
15Surveying Technology/Surveying88%61%
9Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
Cincinnati, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
13Surveying Technology/Surveying16%
10University of Toledo
Toledo, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
6Geographic Information Science and Cartography57%92%
11Stark State College
North Canton, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
5Surveying Technology/Surveying23%
12Sinclair Community College
Dayton, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
4Geography41%
13Lakeland Community College
Kirtland, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
3Geographic Information Science and Cartography24%
14Owens Community College
Perrysburg, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
3Geography35%
15Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Geography59%$18,32556%
16Youngstown State University
Youngstown, OH Public · 2 feeder programs
2Geographic Information Science and Cartography50%84%
17Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Bowling Green, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
1Geography64%81%
18Clark State College
Springfield, OH Public · 1 feeder programs
1Geographic Information Science and Cartography22%

All 18 schools in Ohio

Every school in Ohio with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Ohio that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Miami University - OxfordOxfordPublic391
University of Akron Main CampusAkronPublic361
University of Cincinnati - Main CampusCincinnatiPublic301
Columbus State Community CollegeColumbusPublic282
Ohio University - Main CampusAthensPublic281
Wright State University - Main CampusDaytonPublic202
Kent State University at KentKentPublic162
Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbusPublic152
Cincinnati State Technical and Community CollegeCincinnatiPublic131
University of ToledoToledoPublic61
Stark State CollegeNorth CantonPublic52
Sinclair Community CollegeDaytonPublic42
Lakeland Community CollegeKirtlandPublic31
Owens Community CollegePerrysburgPublic31
Ohio Wesleyan UniversityDelawarePrivate not-for-profit21

What surveying and mapping technicians earn in Ohio

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Ohio
$60,330
Mean annual
$60,800
Jobs in state
1,350
What the range looks like
10th pct$44,130Median$60,33090th pct$79,930
Versus the national median
+11.2%

U.S. median $54,240. Ohio pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
0.65×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Ohio

Toledo, OH
$63,720median
70 jobs
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH
$59,970median
110 jobs
Cleveland, OH
$61,860median
250 jobs
Akron, OH
$58,150median
80 jobs
Columbus, OH
$60,330median
280 jobs
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN
$59,850median
270 jobs
Canton-Massillon, OH
$56,560median
40 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+4.5%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
7,600
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
2,700
59,400 → 62,100
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Plus moderate-term on-the-job training

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Surveying and Mapping Technicians page.

How to become a Surveying

Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingMathematicsWritingMonitoringActive Listening

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Ohio

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 3 majors mapped to Surveying and Mapping Technicians3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 15.1102Surveying Technology/Surveying
  • 45.0701Geography
  • 45.0702Geographic Information Science and Cartography

Common questions

Answers for people weighing surveying and mapping technicians programs in Ohio.

What degree do you need to become a Surveying?+

High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Geographic Information Science and Cartography, which awarded 160 degrees in Ohio in 2024-25, 63.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Surveying?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Geography and Cartography, Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians. Together they graduate about 252 people a year in Ohio.

How much do surveying and mapping technicians earn in Ohio?+

The median is $60,330 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 11.2% above the U.S. median of $54,240. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for surveying and mapping technicians growing?+

BLS projects a +4.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 7,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Ohio?+

18 institutions in Ohio reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do surveying and mapping technicians work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Survey Technician, Mapping Technician, Photogrammetric Technician, Photogrammetric Compilation Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-3031.

Surveying and Mapping Technicians in other statesCaliforniaTexasArizonaPennsylvaniaOregonColoradoWashingtonNorth Carolina

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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