The Ministry of Education of China proposed that one of the goals of the construction of new engineering courses in universities is to cultivate innovative talents with engineering practice capabilities. The development of surveying and mapping instruments and methods poses new challenges for the construction of surveying and mapping discipline，and also produces higher requirements for the comprehensive capabilities of talents. This article took the transformation and upgrading of the mine surveying major of China University of Mining and Technology as an example，and discussed the reform ideas of the development of the surveying and mapping engineering major and the cultivation of innovative talents under the new engineering situation，whose aim is to promote the transformation and upgrading of the surveying and mapping major from the traditional old major to “space-sky-earth” new engineering disciplines.