Senior Project

Six units of senior project are required for GENE majors. This is typically accomplished by successful completion of the ENGR 459 – ENGR 460 – ENGR 461 sequence. You may also satisfy the senior project requirement by substituting another department’s senior project course sequence for ENGR 459 – ENGR 460 – ENGR 461 if that department is closely related to your course of study and provided that a faculty member from that department agrees to serve as your senior project faculty advisor. You must indicate this substitution on your ICS form, and this substitution must be approved by the GENE Director before you begin your senior project.

If the other department’s senior project course sequence is less than six units, you must make up the difference in units to satisfy the GENE requirement of six units of senior project. This is often done by enrolling in ENGR 400 or the other department’s 400 course (typically called “Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates”) for the number of units equal to the difference between 6 units and the number of units of the other department’s senior project sequence. In this case, you are responsible for developing and delivering a scope of work and deliverables for the 400 course that is related to your senior project and agreed upon by your senior project faculty advisor and the GENE Director before beginning the 400 course. This is typically done by sending to the GENE Director and your senior project advisor a 1 – 2 page document that includes:

    • Your name
    • The 400 course you are taking (e.g., ENGR 400, IME 400, etc.)
    • The quarter and year in which you are taking the 400 course (e.g., Spring 2019)
    • The title of your project
    • The name of your senior project faculty advisor
    • A brief description of the project (including the scope of work and specifications) that you will be working on in the 400 course
    • A brief description of how your work in the 400 course relates to your senior project
    • The deliverables for the project

Creating Your Own Senior Project

You may create your own senior project (as opposed to working on a senior project that is created by a faculty member or by a company). If you decide to create your own senior project, you still need to select a senior project course sequence for your project (as described above) and have a faculty member agree to serve as your senior project advisor. You and your senior project advisor must agree on the scope and deliverables of your senior project before you begin work on your project. Sharing written documentation of the scope and deliverables of your senior project with your senior project advisor prior to beginning the project is strongly recommended.

Funding

If you plan to create your own senior project, please plan well ahead in securing funding for purchases of items or services, travel, etc. that you anticipate needing for your senior project.  At this time GENE does not have funding to support senior projects.  Possible sources of funding for senior projects include:

CP Connect

Baker-Koob Endowment

Reimbursement

Reimbursement for senior project-related purchases paid from your personal funds: Inquire with the department whose senior project course sequence you are following. Save your receipts!

Travel

Travel information and forms