When Katlin Rowley was a sophomore in high school, a chance meeting with Dr. Ram Nunna, dean of the Lyles College of Engineering at Fresno State, shaped the course of her academic journey.

“I told Dr. Nunna that I wanted to be an engineer,” Rowley said with a smile. “I asked him what I should do to prepare myself for college, and he encouraged me to look into dual enrollment, which would allow me to take college courses and high school courses simultaneously. Following that advice was one of, if not the very best decision I have ever made.”

While Rowley completed high school online through California Virtual Academies, she was dually enrolled in online and in-person general education STEM courses at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, as well as online courses at Norco College. By the time she graduated high school, Rowley had completed 43 college units, and entered Fresno State halfway through her sophomore year in college.

Her path to dual education continued at Fresno State, where she participated in the Finish in Five Scholars program, which allowed her to complete both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in five years – but in Rowley’s case, she only needed four years. 

Through this accelerated program, students begin graduate studies at the start of their first semester of their senior year, allowing them to focus more rigorously on their areas of professional practice and research, culminating in a master’s degree. 

Rowley will be the first-ever Finish in Five Scholar for both Fresno State and the Lyles College of Engineering when she graduates with her master’s degree in civil engineering at 8 a.m., Saturday, May 16, at the Save Mart Center during the Lyles College commencement ceremony. This past December, Rowley earned her bachelor’s degree in geomatics engineering, graduating summa cum laude with college honors. 

In addition to the Lyles College, the College of Science and Mathematics and the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology also offer the Finish in Five program within their blended academic programs. Altogether, 136 students across the three colleges, including 91 from the Lyles College, are participating in the program.

Surveying with pride 

Rowley’s passion for academics stems from her family’s heritage as land developers and her childhood experiences growing up on her family’s cattle ranch in Exeter, surrounded by a bounty of agriculture and livestock. She said this close connection to her family’s history and the food that fuels the Central Valley is where her interest in engineering took root. 

“Land is a very important part of agriculture and development,” Rowley said. “Through geomatics, we learn about land boundaries and land surveying, which includes protecting property rights, the right to farm and the right for agriculture. With my long-term goal of going to law school, geomatics engineering was an excellent way for me to blend the two career paths of engineering and law, as I’ve always been interested in the legal aspects of developing land.”

Rowley received a full scholarship to Fresno State through the Lyles Honors College and began her studies in the geomatics engineering program in fall 2022. 

A small program of about 90 students, Rowley excelled and took on many leadership opportunities, including serving as chairman of the 2025 Geomatics Conference – the largest student-run geomatics engineering conference in the western U.S., which brought out hundreds of industry professionals. She also served as vice president of the Student Association of Geomatic Engineers and president of the Digital Innovation and Research Club at Fresno State.

While in the program, Rowley passed the national Principles and Practice of Surveying exam to continue her journey to become a licensed land surveyor – a feat she achieved before graduating with her bachelor’s degree. She cites the geomatics and civil engineering programs, led by Dr. Fayzul Pasha, as well as her city surveyor mentor Michael Long, for preparing her well for this milestone.

As she completed her final year of her undergraduate program, she began taking graduate-level courses in civil engineering through the Lyles College’s blended bachelor’s and master’s program.

“In graduate school, you only need three classes to be a full-time student, but I was taking far more than that to finish in time while working locally as an associate surveyor,” Rowley said. “It was a lot of hard work to get here, but every moment has been worth it. Being able to blend both programs truly gave me an appreciation for both. As my thesis adviser, Dr. Mike Berber, explained to me, with the bachelor’s program, we are learning the concepts for the first time and, with the master’s program, we are becoming the experts in our field. Being able to see how my undergraduate courses were preparing me for my graduate work was an enlightening experience.”

Rowley was also recently awarded a prestigious designation as the Exemplary Graduate Student for the Civil and Geomatics Engineering program by the Division of Graduate Studies in recognition of her accomplishments and leadership at Fresno State.

In the fall, Rowley will continue her education with Purdue Law School, where she will pursue her executive juris doctorate, specializing in land and development law. She said having a legal background will support her future career goal of serving the public of California through the role of city surveyor.

“Katlin’s energetic personality and her knowledge and skills in geomatics engineering gives her a deep understanding of land, boundaries, and infrastructure,” Nunna said. “As she moves into property law, she brings a rare combination of technical insight and legal direction that will be invaluable in addressing complex land use challenges.”