New Name for Geospatial and Surveying Programme

The School of Surveying and Spatial Information Systems at the University of New South Wales will be known as the School of Surveying and Geospatial Engineering (SAGE). The name reflects the two degree programs offered by the School: Bachelor of Engineering (Surveying) and Bachelor of Engineering (GIS).

The head of SAGE, Professor Chris Rizos, said it was important that the name of the school aid in attracting school leavers and mature-age students to its programmes. The name now reflects accurately the two degrees and the two professional pathways that are offered by the school.

He says that surveying has an established career path and an established client base. But geospatial engineers face quite a different world. These graduates will be expected to understand the operations and applications of large databases and complex IT systems; navigation and positioning; digital image processing; laser scanning and remote sensing.

'Graduates will rub shoulders with new clients in new industries created from these new geospatial technologies. It's exciting, but clear career paths remain difficult to predict. There are great opportunities, but much will depend on the vicissitudes of these new industries. ‘This represents a challenge for the university itself. New industries and applications lead to demand for new degrees. To meet this challenge, the university will offer a five year concurrent degree leading to a Masters, to augment its four year BE. Students can earn a generic degree in one discipline, and then specialise in another. A geospatial specialisation could be offered to augment an undergraduate degree in electrical, civil, mechanical, or computer engineering.

Rizos said it is important to emphasise that this name change reflects our mission, which is to educate the next generation of engineers for careers in new industries.