Project options are curated by the teaching staff, with students having the option of choosing between 3-4 semester long design projects. In the past, many design projects have been modified versions of student design competitions hosted by various companies/organizations. Example projects have include sustainability, alternative energy, carbon-based energy, flexible electronics, nanomaterial synthesis, biomedical devices, bio-based products, food and agriculture, and pharmaceutical development. Students incorporate a manufacturing process, process controls, safety, ethics, and economic planning among many other items into their design project.

Example of past projects students have completed include:

• "Zero Waste" (modified from PepsiCo/SWE 2019 Student Engineering Challenge)- In this project students were tasked with designing a chemical process that utilizes waste orange peels (from the production of Tropicana orange juice) as the feed source for a chemical process that increases the value of the waste stream.
• "Solar-Powered Exploration of Venus" (modified from 2018 NASA Glenn Research Center Space Project)- In this project students completed the conceptual design of a system that can complete long term studies of both the Venusian atmosphere and surface, and can terraform Venus for human habitation. More specifically, students were asked to design a bio-inspired, self-sustaining floating platform and exploration system that endures and thrives through in situ resource extraction (ISRE), transport, processing, conversion and point-of-use delivery of Venusian resources to provide its ongoing needs (as opposed to multiple, ongoing heavy cargo launches from Earth and resupply delivery to Venus).
• "Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility: Rehabilitation and Startup" (modified from 2020 AZ Water Student Design Competition)- In this project students examined an Arizonian water reclamation facility (Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility) and assessed how to best rehabilitate the site in anticipation of a start-up in 2025. More specifically, students were asked to evaluate and summarize historic wastewater flow rates and loading characteristic data, research and evaluate existing and emerging treatment process technologies to be retrofitted within the available footprint that meet the water quality parameters of Class A+ effluent and regulations required for potential reuse applications, and consider/make recommendations regarding solids handling and disposal.
• "Design for Carbon Dioxide Reduction From Atmospheric Air"- In this project students were tasked with designing a chemical process capable of removing/sequestering carbon dioxide from air with the project objective of minimizing total carbon capture cost per ton.