Practicums and Capstone Projects
Capstone Projects
One-semester real-world project experiences for students
In our capstone project course, students in our professionally-oriented master’s programs integrate advanced technical knowledge and tackle real-world challenges for industry clients. Students gain valuable project experience with the processes that engineers must master in a professional environment. Students enrolled in this course work either independently or in an assigned team to accomplish the project goals.
Industry clients define the project scope and goals, select the student(s) who will complete the project , and assign a project mentor, who will communicate regularly with the student(s) throughout the duration of the project (typically one semester). The only costs to the client are any materials necessary to complete the project and/or any required student travel (if applicable).
Student Benefits
- Great opportunities to connect and build relationships with industry partners
- Access to exclusive networking opportunities
- Gaining real-world industry experience
- Developing skills to be successful in your career post-graduation
- Opportunities to build your resume
- Independent and small team work solving real-world industry problems
Internships
Students who secure an internship can work with their home department to see if they can register for the ENG 572 Practicum course to be counted for the professional development component of their degree.
Career Services
The Office of Engineering Career Services offers resources to help you develop your resume and cover letter, network with top companies, and find internship (and full-time) positions for your unique skill set.
— Kevin P. Gallagher, Ph.D. - Scientist, Corporate Science & Technology, PPG
For Industry Partners
Submit a Capstone Project for Consideration
Work with graduate students in our professional master's programs as an industry client.
Hire Our Professionally-Oriented Master's Students
Ready to find your next star team member? Check out these high impact recruiting opportunities!
Where our graduates work
Some examples of organizations where our graduates have taken positions:
10X Genomics | ADM | AGCO | Amazon | Baxter Healthcare | Caterpillar | Civiltech Engineering | Crawford, Murphy & Tilly | Cymer | DCI Engineers | Deloitte | Department of the Navy | Eaton Corporation | ExxonMobil | General Electric – Energy Connections | Graphet Data Mining Inc. | Greeley and Hansen | Integral Group | Navistar | Sandia National Laboratories | Sierra Club (Texas) | Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC) | Tesla Motors | TRC Solutions | Union Pacific | Wolfram Research | Zimmer Biomet
Contact us for more information
Lauren Stites
Professional Programs Coordinator
217-265-0643 . lstites@illinois.edu