Senior Design Information Session - February 26, 2026 Summary

General Senior Design Requirements

  • All 200-level ECE core courses must be completed before beginning senior design.
  • All 300-level core courses must be completed, with the exception that one (1) remaining 300-level core may be taken concurrently with the first semester of senior design.
  • Students cannot take senior design while missing more than one 300-level core or any 200-level core.
  • Two-semester options require students to remain with the same project and team across both semesters.

EPICS Senior Design (Andrew Pierce)

  • Students join community-partner–driven, real-world design projects that involve multidisciplinary, vertically integrated teams.
  • Projects emphasize self-driven work, ambiguity, customer-need analysis, and real impact.
  • Weekly structure:
    • 2-hour lab meeting with instructors/TAs
    • 10 professional development hours per semester
    • Midterm and final professional design reviews
  • Senior design expectations:
    • Semester 1: requirements gathering, conceptual designs, project proposal
    • Semester 2: fully functional prototype and final documentation
  • Students may join projects individually or with a group.

VIP Senior Design (Carla Zoltowski)

  • Teams are faculty-led research/design groups, often spanning multiple semesters and disciplines.
  • Strong option for students interested in the intersection of research and design or considering graduate school.
  • Over 80 active teams, with ~30 preapproved for senior design. Topics include semiconductors, UAVs, computer vision, lunabotics, AI/music systems, and more.
  • Like EPICS, VIP follows the two-semester design timeline with ABET-aligned outcomes and similar deliverables.
  • Students submit technical reports, project proposals/descriptions, and often participate in the Purdue Undergraduate Research Conference.
  • Pre-registration is recommended because VIP manually assigns appropriate CRNs for correct placement.

Open-Source Software Senior Design (Steve France)

  • A two-semester software-only option designed for computer engineering majors (EE eligibility under review).
  • Requires completion of Data Structures; software engineering or tools courses are strongly encouraged.
  • Students design and build a complete software product using open-source tools and frameworks—but do not contribute to existing open-source projects.
  • Teams are assigned by course staff, with students allowed to request one teammate preference.
  • Hardware use is limited to non-modified commercial devices; no embedded or firmware-based projects allowed.
  • Weekly: one lecture + one team meeting (both mandatory).

New Two-Semester Embedded Systems Senior Design (Carla Zoltowski & Ryan Beasley)

  • Replaces the one-semester 49022 embedded systems option; supports hardware, software, and mixed embedded projects.
  • Similar process to 49022 but expanded across two semesters to resolve the difficulties of completing hardware design in a single term.
  • Students propose their own projects, receive approval in week one, and form teams quickly.
  • This track supports a wide range of embedded system concepts: smart devices, hardware-software integration, edge computing projects, etc.

Other Clarifications from Q&A

  • Students do not need prior EPICS or VIP experience to join those programs for senior design.
  • 49022 Fall 2026 is open to Fall 2026 grads first, with Spring 2027 grads added only if space permits.
  • All two-semester tracks require building on the same project across both semesters, although sub-team or scope adjustments may occur.