Senior Project

Your senior project is a capstone experience conducted under direct faculty supervision and is required for all Cal Poly students receiving a baccalaureate degree. Integrating theory and application from across your undergraduate educational experiences, it consists of one or more of the following, as determined by your department or program:

  1. A design or construction experience
  2. An experiment
  3. A self-guided study or research project
  4. A presentation
  5. A report based on an internship, Co-op, or service-learning experience
  6. A public portfolio display or performance.

In each case, some kind of written documentation may be required.

Here are some helpful hints on completing your senior project:

  • At least five quarters prior to graduation, find out your major's requirements for the senior project. Typically, you'll find them on the Web; otherwise ask your departmental office or college advising center. Some departments offer a structured process for completing this task; others expect you to make individual arrangements with a professor.
  • If your department offers an orientation meeting for senior projects, you are strongly encouraged (in some cases, required) to attend.
  • Depending on your major's requirements, it may be helpful to have a topic in mind before you approach a potential advisor. Check your college's website for ideas and information. Other resources would be talking with alumni, professors or University staff. You'll want to make sure that your topic is one in which you are very interested, because you are likely to spend no less than 30 hours on it and possibly as many as 180 hours (i.e., one to six credit units).
  • Unless your department dictates otherwise, try to begin working on the project itself no later than three quarters prior to graduation, to allow plenty of time for completion, in case unforeseen obstacles arise.
  • Prior to the project's initiation, you are responsible for identifying costs and potential funding sources. Costly projects are discouraged. You are also responsible for becoming informed about the University's intellectual properties policy and, where applicable, its human subjects policy.
  • Consult regularly with your faculty advisor on what you are expected to produce and the timeline for doing so.
  • Upon completion, be sure to check with your department or advisor for specific requirements on how to file/store your project.

If for some reason you think you are not going to finish your senior project on time, talk with your advisor as soon as possible. Good luck!