Opportunities for Working with Cal Poly Computing Students
There are several options for working with us at Cal Poly. They vary based on commitment and cost.
Capstone
The highest commitment is to be a customer for a capstone project. We have a Software Engineering Capstone and a Computer Engineering Capstone. These projects typically start in September each year, so customers are typically secured in the May to August timeframe.
Senior Project
Sponsors can work with one or more students in a senior project. This only requires convincing the students and faculty to work with you. The Pitch2Programmers event was created in Fall 2016. People can pitch their projects to computing students (CPE, CSC, SE majors) who are looking for a senior project. This event typically happens in November, and is currently organized by Chris Lupo.
Advertise in the Weekly CSC/SE Email Newsletter
The Computer Science and Software Engineering Department sends out a weekly email newsletter to its students during the academic year. Companies and individuals can submit an "ad" for inclusion to the department admin. This can be a great way to get students interested in a project.
Course Projects
Some professors work with companies and individuals who sponsor a project in a course. The best bet here is to find a professor who teaches a course in the area of your project, and contact them directly.
Sponsored Project
This involves a contract with Cal Poly and payment for a delivered software product. Contact a faculty member in the area of the project and see if there is interest.
Expectations
Working with Cal Poly students is a great way to explore a software product or research idea. Our students are typically excellent, and we have had many wonderfully successful projects. However, this is not typically a great way to create a polished, publishable product. Even when students do create a polished product, there remains the challenge of maintaining it. Students typically graduate or move on to the next project pretty quickly.