Applicant seeking land‑surveyor‑in‑training pathway asked board to count several OSU courses; board requested syllabi and experience verification

Russell Duck appeared before the Tennessee Board of Examiners for Land Surveyors on Nov. 22 to ask the panel to accept coursework from Oklahoma State University as board‑approved ‘List‑1’ upper‑level credit toward the 36 semester hours required for Pathway 3 licensure.

Duck told the board he has nearly 10 years of surveying experience, holds a bachelor’s degree in conservation biology and recently passed several licensure exams, including the fundamentals exam (July 30) and principal/practice tests. He asked the board to consider course descriptions and a program director’s letter explaining the OSU curriculum was designed specifically for licensure. Duck said the coursework included legal principles, route surveying, advanced surveying and GIS classes that he argued meet the board’s upper‑level criteria.

Board reviewers examined each course against the board’s internal guidance on '18 hours of upper‑level coursework' and discussed prerequisites, lab components and whether specific courses map to Tennessee practice (meets and bounds vs. public land survey system). One reviewer said a course that is prerequisite for another may be viewed as lower level despite strong content; others said Duck’s combination of testing and experience should be considered in aggregate. Several board members noted the internal 18‑hour guidance is not statutory (the statute requires 36 board‑approved hours) and recommended the applicant submit additional materials.

The board asked Duck to supply detailed syllabi for the natural resources policy class and any lab documentation, plus signed experience verification forms from supervising surveyors. Staff said they would send the supplemental material to additional reviewers and re‑evaluate Duck’s application. No formal vote on licensure was taken at the meeting.

Next steps: Duck will supply the requested syllabi and signed experience verification forms; staff will circulate the materials for additional review and the board will reconsider the application in a later meeting.