Mechanical Engineering
Capstone Design
Challenging our Future Engineers with Design Projects that Benefit the Common Good
Mentoring Toward Breakthrough Innovation
Bring your ideas and needs to reality by mentoring a capstone design course project. These team projects are designed to be the culmination of the Bachelor of Science Mechanical Engineering (ME) degree program. 4- or 5-person project teams composed of Senior-year ME undergraduates work on a real-world, open-ended design problem you provide over a 14-week academic semester in the fall or winter.
Benefits Include
Utilizing U-M ME student talent for company innovation and intellectual property development.
Building relationships with ME faculty and undergraduates.
Receiving a final report and virtual or physical prototype at the end of the semester.
Introducing students to your company’s innovative work and potentially finding future interns or hires.
Types of Projects Accepted
Ideal Capstone Design projects are open-ended enough to allow for creative ideation, yet specific enough to require methods of engineering analysis to validate solutions within a 14-week semester. Learn more on the "Projects" page of this website.
Characteristics of a Great Capstone Design Project
Emphasizes creative design.
Involves prototyping, virtual modeling, or proof of concept.
Requires engineering analysis and validation methods.
Levels of Support
Industry Scholar Partner - $100,000+: Support a graduate scholar and submit one project proposal per semester.
Company Mentor - $5,000: Submit one project proposal.
Multi-semester projects and themed sections with up to five projects are also available.
This support helps to cover administrative costs, normal project-related expenses, and allows us to offer pro bono projects to nonprofits and student groups. Contact us if you are a U-M faculty or staff member interested in mentoring a project.