Capstone Design Projects

Our civil engineering students are required to complete a capstone design project. These are culminating experiences that challenge them to solve complex, real-world engineering problems. These projects are more than academic exercises—they’re opportunities for students to engage with the kinds of challenges they’ll face in their careers.

Each capstone design course is aligned with a major civil engineering focus area. This focus does not mean that the design is related only to one narrowly focused topic. Each capstone design course provides sufficient experience and opportunity to apply material learned in previous courses. These courses involve teamwork, report writing, and oral presentation of the project, and open-ended problem solving. The courses are intended to simulate a real-world design experience. Therefore, designs should consider performance objectives, costs, environmental impacts, ethical considerations and legal or regulatory context.

Many capstone courses choose to engage with external partners in the project formulation, or for the supply of input data. We also engage alumni and local professionals to participate as judges for the end-of-semester capstone showcase.  Please reach out if you are interested in potentially partnering on a project, or serving as a judge in the end-of-semester showcase. Your involvement can make a lasting difference—for our students, for your organization, and for the future of civil engineering.