Senior Projects

Requirements for a software development senior capstone project to be approved include, but are not limited to:

1. Project is requested by the client. Students may participate in refining the client's initial suggestion, but project functionality should be driven by client needs.
2. Project requires working knowledge of multiple subdisciplines of computer science
3. Project requires programming, instead of use of pre-built tools such as WordPress
4. Software can be built by a small team of students in the course of a semester
5. Project can be built in a public Git repository
6. No NDA or similar required by client

If the project desired by the client is too simple for a capstone project, the department may add additional functionality as a requirement for the student to complete the project. Client approval will be requested before the project is approved.

Clients for a software development project have some restrictions:

1. Clients may not be related to the students working on the project
2. Clients generally may not be students. The only exception is for approved Engineering capstone projects that need a significant software component that can be developed in tandem with the physical device development.
3. A limited number of Loyola CS faculty may be clients for software development projects in a given year, but most clients should be from outside of the department.

Expectations of clients during the senior project:

1. Meeting with students in the fall and start of spring semester to clarify needs
2. Responding to instructor requests for confirmation of being a client
3. occasional meetings throughout the spring semester as needed either by client or student. It is expected that clients give students control over how the project is run and do not dictate the software engineering process. It is also expected that students take client needs and requests into account in design and implementation.
4. Review of final project

Clients can expect that students will:

1. Be responsive to occasional inquiries about the state of the project
2. Provide access to the project's code and documentation at the end of the semester.

Students will also be expected to produce a professional presentation at the conclusion of the project detailing major design decisions and functionality. The client is invited, but not required, to attend the presentation.

Requirements for a research project include:

1. The project must be do-able within a semester and include results, even if it is only a part of a larger research project.
2. The project should require the student to read research papers and learn about a subfield of computer science.
3. The end result should be publishable at an undergraduate research venue or workshop, but is not expected to be ready for full conference or journal publication due to the limited timeline.

Expectations for research clients include:

1. Work closely with students, meeting at least once a week and acting as a research mentor.
2. Help students learn how to perform research, understand the field, and come up with approaches
3. Help students learn how to read papers and write about their work, giving feedback
4. Answer questions as students work on their projects. 

In some cases a research mentor may be a computer scientist working at a different high education institute or research institute. The course instructor and department chair can aid in understanding the expectations for the project.

Clients can expect that students will:

1. Meet frequently and learn from the research mentor
2. Read papers as well as implement solutions and gather results
3. Provide access to the project's code and documentation at the end of the semester.

Students will also be expected to produce a professional presentation at the conclusion of the project detailing major design decisions and functionality. The client is invited, but not required, to attend the presentation. However, all Loyola CS faculty are required to attend this presentation.