Santa Clara University

Engineering Capstone Projects

Undergraduate Senior Capstone Projects

To earn a bachelor's degree in engineering, all undergraduates must complete a capstone project in their senior year. Working closely with a faculty advisor either individually or in teams, students see their project through from problem formulation and analysis to preliminary and final design of their project, system, or device. Reflecting the collaborative nature of engineering, teams are often interdisciplinary in make-up. As they work on their capstone project, students have the opportunity to manage a project from beginning to end, learning how to deal with unexpected outcomes along the way. An excellent training ground for working in industry, the capstone project mirrors the type of experiences graduates will face when they begin their careers in engineering. The culmination of this experience comes when students formally present their work at the annual Senior Design Conference held in early May. Read More

• Senior Design Conference

See where their research has led three SCU engineering students (and read a related story)...

Graduate Capstone Projects

The Master of Science in Software Engineering requires a capstone project be completed over three consecutive quarters. These projects afford students an opportunity to apply their technical skill and knowledge of engineering principles to the development of a complex, team-oriented software project. Collaboration with industry is encouraged. Project planning, scoping, management and organization become more than just conceptual terms as teams see their project through from concept to reality, testing quality assurance, reliability and performance along the way and reengineering as needed.