Senior Design
All students in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering participate in a two semester capstone sequence that is referred to at the "Senior Design" program. Students enrolled in Senior Design spend the year working in teams of five or six on a computer software or hardware project sponsored by members of local industry or university faculty and staff.
The course provides students with the hands-on educational and professional experience that comes with contributing to a real-world project. Previous projects have served a variety of fields and industries and have been developed with many different technologies.
The project types offered by Senior Design include:
- Mobile Apps
- Data Analytics and Visualization
- Web-based Systems
- Gaming Technologies
- Machine Learning Systems
- Virtual / Augmented Reality
Important Dates
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12PM - 3PM, Aug. 10th, 2018 | Sponsor & Coach Orientation (with lunch) |
Kauffman Great Hall |
| 8AM, Aug. 21st, 2018 |
Fall Semester Starts | |
| 2PM - 3:15 PM, Aug. 23rd, 2018 | CSE Faculty Project Rollout | Hamilton Hall 104 |
| 2PM - 3:30PM, Aug. 28th, 2018 | Project Rollout | Regency & Heritage Rooms, Nebraska Union |
We are always impressed with the creativity of the students and their ability to quickly adapt to changing needs. Former Sponsor 2016-2017 Sponsor Satisfaction Survey
Interested in being a Coach?
Are you interested in becoming a coach for a Senior Design team? We are seeking individuals who have expertise in both business and technology and who are able to provide guidance to the students throughout their capstone project. Coaches are provided to each team of students to act as a resource during the project releases. Coaches help accelerate the team's progress by helping to expand the students' view of the project and recognize key aspects. Focus is placed on building a trusted coaching relationship and bonding with the team.
Coaches spend, on average, between 1-3 hours per week with their team where the team updates the individual on their poject and challenges them with their toughest issues. Coaches tend to spend more time with their teams during the beginning of the project. Other responsibilities include attending release and other critical meetings and helping guide the team toward a successful project.
Being a coach for a Senior Design project provides a wonderful opportunity for students and coaches alike. Students benefit immensively from having an impartial 3rd party that they are able to ask their most challenging questions, without fear of those questions impacting their grade. Coaches are able to spend time with current university students and form new relationships with students, faculty, and other coaches.
If you're interested in being a coach for Senior Design for 2018-2019, please fill out and submit this form.
Interested in sponsoring a project?
The Senior Design program has experience working in numerous domains. These include:
- Healthcare
- Agriculture (AgIT)
- State Goverment
- Financial and Insurance Services
- Telecommunications and Utilities
- Education
If you have any questions, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section below, or contact us by email at cse-seniordesign@unl.edu
Click here if you are an organization interested in sponsoring a project.
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Jeremy Suing presenting a sponsor with a token of appreciate at the 2017-2018 Design Studio & Senior Design Showcase. -
The CSE Cui Team showing off their Mobile-based Food Recognition System at the 2017-2018 Senior Design Showcase. -
Erudite sponsors Dr. Ron Nelson and Dr. Leen-Kiat Soh accepting a token of appreciation for successfully completing a Senior Design project in 2017-2018. -
The Sandhills Publishing team, with their sponsor, discussing progress on their project as part of a release meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How much does a Senior Design project cost to sponsor?
A Senior Design project costs $15,000 USD to sponsor. Each project team consists of 5 - 6 students who will complete 1200 - 1500 development hours.
This pricing may be different for UNL Faculty & Staff. Please contact us at cse-seniordesign@unl.edu if you have any questions.
What is the return on investment for sponsoring a project?
Sponsoring a Senior Design project is a good way to invest in a student-led project while staying within your organization's budget. All Senior Design projects are priced at $15,000, which is a fraction of what professional firms typically charge. This offers the sponsor an opportunity to develop a prototype or test a design without dedicating large sums of money to the project.
Additionally, sponsors have the opportunity to provide a real-life lerning capstone project for students at UNL. We promise you'll be impressed with what they can do!
Are there recruitment opportunities that come along with sponsoring a project?
Yes! We encourage you to recruit from your team members. We also have various sponsor and program events throughout the year that provide a good opportunity for networking.
What are some of the possible majors the students will be studying?
The Senior Design program includes students from three majors and two minors. Those disciplines are:
- Major in Computer Science
- Major in Computer Engineering
- Major in Software Engineering
- Minor in Software Development
- Minor in Informatics
How long do the projects last and what is the time commitment of the sponsor?
The project lasts two semesters, from the end of August until the beginning of May. The time commitment for the sponsor is between 2 - 5 hours per week in order to attend weekly sponsor meetings and 5 major release meetings over the course of the year.
Can a project be remotely sponsored?
Yes, you do not have to be located in Lincoln, Nebraska to sponsor a project. Senior Design students are taught how to effectively use various communication tools (email, video, etc.) in order to communicate well with sponsors. We have had succesful projects in previous years with sponsors from both outside of Lincoln and outside of Nebraska
If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact us by email at cse-seniordesign@unl.edu
What are some of the course objectives for the students?
- Applications of engineering principles
- Iterative software development methodologies
- Development operations
- Software quality assurance
- Software development best practice behaviors
What technologies does Senior Design use for each project?
Each project team will utilize common tools such as slack and git. Teams are often capable of learning whatever technology the sponsor in interested in using, given that the learning curve is built into the scope of the project. For specific projects, teams have worked with technologies such as:
- Microsoft .NET
- Java
- Ruby
- R
- iOS and Android
- Javascript, PHP, and Python
If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact us by email at cse-seniordesign@unl.edu
What is the program's enrollment?
In previous years, Senior Design has operated in combination with the Raikes Design Studio program. However, increasing enrollment has made it necessary to run an independent Senior Design program. The expected enrollment for the academic year 2018/2019 is 125 students. By the academic year 2020/2021, enrollment is projected at 250 students.
For the academic year 2018/2019, there will be 21 Senior Design teams working on projects.
Is there a digital flyer available to share with others?
Yes, please click here for our latest Senior Design digital flyer.
Senior Design (SD) Faculty & Staff Directory
Brady Garvin
Mehmet Vuran
