Capstone projects

The Capstone (Senior) design experience consists of a year-long project, spread over Fall and Spring semesters. Projects are developed and sponsored by local companies. Students work in teams to meet the project expectations of the sponsor. The Capstone experience aims to give students an opportunity to bring together all of the coursework in their program of study along with writing and communication skills, to design and implement a sponsored project.

Sponsors help educate the next generation of engineers and computer scientists. Capstone projects provide students with real-world experience and a chance to learn what to expect as employees. As a sponsor, you will have an opportunity to observe students and interact with them on the project, to potentially hire them after graduation. Capstone also gives your company a way to develop connections with the university and faculty for other future research collaborations. It can be an inexpensive way to get started on some of the exploratory ideas or projects at your company, and to test or further develop those ideas.

For more details on sponsoring a capstone project, contact encs.connections@wsu.edu.

Project examples

• Computer science students created Pet Match (pictured right), a mobile app for pet browsing, matching and adoption, for the Humane Society of SW Washington.
• Mechanical engineering students designed a modular steel pallet rack for transporting and storing a variety of concrete products for Columbia Machine.
• Electrical engineering students designed and built an optical module tester that allowed for quick detection and ease of use in the field for US Digital.

Timeline

Capstone sponsors work with a team of students over the course of an academic year, beginning with the proposal of a suitable project, and concluding with a prototype and presentation of results.