Senior Capstone | Penn State Department of Materials Science and Engineering

All senior undergraduates complete a capstone project in the form of a research thesis or a group design project.

Senior research thesis
- Based on at least one academic year of research conducted in a professor’s lab
- Research is conducted as a part of a team
- Student writes the thesis independently
Senior group design project
- Completed in one semester and overseen by the Learning Factory at Penn State
- Interdisciplinary team of three to five students from various engineering majors (i.e. mechanical, industrial, electrical, etc.) collaborate on an industry-sponsored project
- Final team report and presentation at end-of-semester showcase held at the Bryce Jordan Center

Senior Research Thesis

How to get started?

Students should reach out to faculty members of interest and request to join their group and complete a senior research thesis with them.
Students can attend the MatSE Undergraduate Research Fair held early September of each year or they may email / visit the faculty member to convey their interest in research.

Once a research group has been identified, students complete the MATSE 494W thesis form and submit it to undergrad@matse.psu.edu.

Students graduating in the spring semester should register for one or two credits of MATSE 494W in the fall and the remaining one or two credits in the spring semester (adjust as needed if student is a fall graduate).

Students will then be enrolled in the MATSE 494W canvas course, which contains details on deadlines, thesis layout and content, thesis examples, etc.

Senior Group Design Project

Getting started

Students register for three credits of MATSE 493W (note - registration for this course closes approximately one month prior to the start of the semester).
Before the semester begins, students receive directions to rank their desired projects.
Students mark their availability for the two class times available (T/R 8 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. or T/R 11:15 a.m. – 1:05 p.m.).
Students are assigned to an interdisciplinary team, project, and class meeting time based on their selections.

Project completion

The team works together, collaborating with their assigned faculty advisor and industry partner, to complete their project, formal report, and presentation.

Learning Factory Showcase

All groups present their work at the end-of-semester showcase held at the Bryce Jordan Center.