In the Mechanical Engineering Department at Columbia University students must complete MECE 3420 and MECE 3430 which constitutes their senior design course in the curriculum. Students split into teams of four or five members to produce a prototype of their own design. Each group will design and develop the concept, prepare and deliver design reviews, prepare a final report, develop a website for their prototype, and lastly fabricate and test the prototype system to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. Each member will specialize in different areas of the design and implementation phases to ensure that the project reaches completion. Essentially this project provides the students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have developed throughout their time at Columbia University in a well structured setting.

There are three different types of projects that can be examined. The analytical project which addresses a particular engineering problem in the mechanical engineering disciplines. The design project which addresses a particular product that would be design and implemented by the group. And the experimental project which addresses a particular experiment that would produce an experimental procedure that could be added to an undergraduate lab course.

The course objectives for the two courses in Senior Design are:

1. Real world experience that requires active student participation.

2. Enhance engineering skills in design methodology which includes  analysis, modeling, research, simulation, prototype testing, and participation in design reviews.

3. First hand experience of advanced product development processes in industry. This includes customer requirements, literary research, maintaining an engineering notebook, and organizing commercially presentable work.

4. Illustrate the interaction between competing technical and non-technical issues. This leads to project compromise, constraints, and the interplay between potential benefits against the risks.

5. Provide hands on experiences in the design process. All phases of product implementation are practiced: concept formulation, technology search, initial design and layout, detailed design, fabrication, buying of parts, assembly, testing and documentation.

6. Develop team skills in planning, coordination, cooperation and communication.

7. Understand what is required to meet firm technical deadlines where funds and assistance are limited. These requirements include scheduling work, developing contingencies, specifying, ordering, and incorporating purchased parts, identifying and using available fabrication and test equipment.

8. Innovation.

9. Apply skills learned throughout education to an area of personal interest.

There are two major products in this effort which include:

1. The engineering details of the concept design. This includes the analyses performed, the Computer-Aided Design drawings, electrical schematics, and performance test results which will be included in the final report.

2. The prototype that will be designed, fabricated, tested, analyzed, and presented at the design exposition.