Partner with Tomorrow for Innovation Today
with Tennessee Tech University's ECE Senior Capstone Design Program

Take advantage of the fresh ideas and inquisitive minds of students while helping to mentor up-and-coming experts in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

As a partner in Tennessee Technological University's innovative Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Capstone project program, you will work with a team of five to six fourth-year students reporting to a faculty advisor.

The team will work with you on a project related to your business that you define, providing a range of services from research and feasibility studies to creating a viable prototype design. At the end of the project, all project-related IP stays with your company.

You provide a project Request for Proposal (RFP) (MS Word Document) which a student team answers. Projects can span a wide range of topics, including research, feasibility studies, product design, process design, component design, or code design. Projects generally occur over the fall and spring semesters.

Once the project focus is set, the team begins development, with someone from your company interfacing with the team as a mentor and technical advisor (by email, phone, or in person, as required).

The mentor initiates the kick-off meeting, and is generally available to the team for the duration of the project to answer questions and provide advice in a timely manner. The team will also have a faculty advisor to oversee its work and address any concerns you may have. The team typically works in the university's facilities, however if any unique test hardware or software is needed, you'll be asked to provide it for the team's use during the project.

As the project progresses, you approve the Product Design Specification, participate in the Design Review, and evaluate how well the team has satisfied your requirements at the Capstone Design Symposium each May.

Once the project is complete and submitted to the university for final grading, all IP remains with your company for you to develop as you wish. A final report will be provided and any working prototypes that you funded will also belong exclusively to your organization.

TTU wants to make its Capstone project sponsors more than just satisfied — we're committed to making your participation in our program a success for your company.

Program Benefits

What the program offers you:

• A team of students to dedicate to an innovative project
• A great business deal financially - you just cover out-of-pocket expenses
• Fresh ideas from senior students who are passionate about their area of study and their projects
• New intellectual property for your company
• Potential for a new product offering based on prototype & IP

What you offer the students:

• Real-world experience on a project team
• Real-life challenge to address in the project
• Opportunity to learn from your knowledgeable staff
• Dynamic environment for final projects  

How to Get Involved

If you are interested in submitting an RFP as part of the ECE Capstone Project Program, please contact us by telephone at 931-372-3397, or by email at aalouani@tntech.edu.  

Current Partners

We'd like to thank our current corporate partners, including:

ADTRAN (Huntsville, Alabama)
AED Arnold Air Force Base (Tullahoma, Tennessee)
ATS Tower (Cookeville, Tennessee)
DENSO (Maryville, Tennessee)
Enota (Atlanta, Georgia)
Nashville Electric Services (Nashville, Tennessee)
Naval Surface Warfare Center (Dahlgren, Virginia)
Proctor & Gamble (Jackson, Tennessee)
REI (Algood, Tennessee)
Schneider Electric (La Vergne, Tennessee)
Summit Systems (Lebanon, Tennessee)
Sustainable Systems (Houston, Texas)
TEKELEC (Raleigh, North Carolina)
TVA (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
United Memories (Colorado Springs, Colorado)