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Dec 14, 2025
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MEC 4901 - Mechanical Engineering Capstone Design I3 lecture hours 0 lab hours 3 credits
Course Description
This course serves as the first of two in the cumulative design experience in the mechanical engineering program. Students work as members of a team to identify a real-world problem which may be solved through the iterative design process, then work to submit a written proposal documenting their recommended solution. Weekly seminars are held to guide students through the design process and include the following topics: patent and literature searches, formulation of design objectives and constraints, conceptualization of multiple competing designs, selection of an optimal design through tradeoff studies, intellectual property, project management, and design reliability. (prereq: senior standing)
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Define a real-world problem requiring an iterative design solution
- Locate, then interpret documentation influential in the formulation of their design(s) (e.g., patents, scientific literature, codes, standards, and current design specifications)
- Formulate design objectives and constraints
- Create multiple novel, competing designs
- Select an optimal design through a tradeoff study
- Author a written proposal justifying the final proposed design
Prerequisites by Topic
Course Topics
- Problem definition
- Patent and literature survey
- Design objective and constraint formulation
- Design synthesis
- Tradeoff study
- Proposal writing
Coordinator
Dr. Kevin Hart
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