Introduction:

ECE 47700 is a hands-on, entrepreneurial, project-based senior design option for students of the Purdue School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The course requires students to form teams of four, propose a project idea, and upon entry into the course, develop a physical prototype of their project concept through a formalized design process. Additional information concerning ECE 47700 senior design can be found here.

ECE 47700 Information Callout Session:

Every fall and spring semester, a callout session is held for electrical and computer engineering students preparing to schedule for senior design. Available options for senior design credit, including ECE 47700 senior design, are presented to students, in addition to details about registering for the various senior design options. The senior design callout session for this semester is scheduled for TBA; all prospective ECE 47700 students are strongly encouraged to attend.

Registration for ECE 47700:

Students wishing to register for ECE 47700 must receive an override from the ECE Undergraduate Office (ECEUGO). In order to obtain an override, prospective ECE 47700 students must:
  1. Have satisfied all core curriculum requirements for their chosen degree option except for one 300 level core course which can be taken concurrently.
  2. Have sucessfully completed ECE 36200.
  3. Form a team of four qualified students. In the event that a prospective team is missing members, partial teams are directed to the registration page, which contains information about free agents and incomplete teams.
  4. Once a team of four has been established, students must brainstorm project ideas. Students are encouraged to meet with ECE 47700 course staff during this time to discuss potential project ideas. Project ideas may vary greatly from team to team, but any project proposed by a senior design team must be agreed upon by (and be of interest to) at least two of the team members.
  5. Once a team has developed at least one potential project idea, they should arrange a meeting with one or more members of the ECE 47700 course staff. Here they can discuss the course and their ideas, receive feedback, and narrow their field down to a single project proposal that will meet the requirements for the course. Course staff email addresses are listed below under "Course Staff Information"
  6. Upon reaching consensus on an ECE 47700 design project, student teams must completely fill out the Initial Project Proposal Form, located in the "Additional Information" section, below (an example Initial Project Proposal is also included below to assist students) Upon completing the form, the designated team leader should go to this form and fill out the form. The form will email students and 47700 staff to request a Preliminary Team ID (PTID). Once a PTID request is granted, the team leader should then submit the completed proposal document (.docx format only) via the ECE 47700 Project Proposal Submission Portal (IMPORTANT NOTE: Please submit an editable (.docx) copy of the Initial Project Proposal, as the commenting feature in Microsoft Word is currently used to provide students with feedback on their designs.)
  7. Upon receipt of the Initial Project Proposal Form, ECE 47700 course staff will review it and either approve the project "as is" or email a "marked up" copy back to the team leader with feedback. If the project is approved, student team members will be provided with an override to register for ECE 47700. If the initial proposal submitted is rejected, the team must submit a revised proposal via the submission portal within one (calendar) week. Failure to submit a revision within the allotted time will result in loss of priority in the proposal queue, enabling other projects to be considered ahead of them.
  8. Project proposals will be considered in the order in which they are submitted via the portal. In order to receive "priority consideration", proposals must be complete and all four student members must be academically qualified (based on successful completion of all "core" prerequisites).
ECE 47700 registration is currently limited to 24 teams per semester, and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Students are strongly encouraged to acquire registration approval as early as possible to ensure their eligibility to take ECE 47700 during their desired semester.

Note that To meet the bulk registration deadline for the Fall 2024 semester, you will need to complete the above process and submit your Initial Project Proposal before April 1st. After that, if we still have team openings for the course (first 24 Teams!), you can still go through the process of submitting a proposal and getting registration override approval, but you will then need to use the Open Registration Process through the Registrar’s Office.

Special Project Considerations:

Safety

ECE 47700 senior design encourages and embraces creativity and the academic freedom to explore a wide variety of projects. That being said, however, certain projects could pose a potential safety risk to ECE 47700 staff and students. Such projects include projects with high electrical current or voltage requirements, projects with high-speed projectiles or moving parts, projects which utilize certain chemicals, projects involving fire or explosives, and others. ECE 47700 course staff shall judge incoming projects on whether or not they constitute a safety hazard. If a project is deemed to involve a safety hazard, the student team will be required to take additional steps before a registration override is provided.

Sponsorship

ECE 47700 partners with sponsors from industry, student organizations, research groups, and others. Sponsored projects may provide students with valuable networking opportunities and access to additional resources beyond those provided by the standard course. If a student team would like to be considered for sponsorship, please contact course staff.

Additional Information:

Course Staff Information: