This course prepares senior mechatronic engineering students for their capstone degree project. In this course, students begin working on their capstone degree project by studying the engineering design process. Topics include customer needs identification, project concept generation and selection, background research, engineering specifications, costs and project planning. Professional topicsinclude ethics, safety,sustainability, globalization and engineering economics. Students are evaluated on their proposal report and communication and presentation skills, as well as their ability to function as a team. Prerequisite: One semester prior to MCE409.