The activities are associated with a high level of responsibility. As self-employed freelancers, they are personally liable for their work and bear personal responsibility for their companies. In addition to carrying out real estate surveys, many publicly appointed surveyors have developed other fields of activity and offer services for developers, architects, municipalities and property owners. Some, for example, carry out engineering surveys, others are active in the field of land readjustment and real estate valuation, and some are active in geoinformatics.
Publicly appointed surveyors need a solid knowledge of classical geodesy, which encompasses the handling of modern surveying instruments including evaluation software as well as the various possibilities of data transfer via interfaces and visualisation via CAD, GIS and web applications. Extensive knowledge of real estate law and the professional code of conduct for publicly appointed surveyors is required to carry out real estate surveys and maintain the real estate cadastre. In order to be able to advise clients comprehensively, in-depth knowledge of planning, building, land and environmental law as well as civil law is required in addition. Due to the freelance work and management of the companies with sometimes a large number of employees, knowledge of business administration and employee management is also useful.
As a rule, the path to becoming a publicly appointed surveyor leads via completion of the career training for the higher technical administrative service (Clerkship for administration service in Geodesy), which is concluded with the second state examination (german: Zweites Staatsexamen).
With the modules described below in the above-mentioned Bachelor's and Master's degree programs, students receive the professional foundations to embark on a career as a publicly appointed surveyor.