Multidisciplinary Project (MDP)

The Multidisciplinary Project (MDP) is an MSc elective project module at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences (CEG). In the Multidisciplinary Project (MDP) students investigate a problem for a client in a team that consists of students from multiple tracks within the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences and develop a solution strategy or other advice. The client can be external or faculty staff. The faculty encourages students to perform a MDP abroad and to acquire a project themselves by reaching out to external organisations. Project topics are also offered via the online learning platform Brightspace.

Students at CEG that are inrolled in the MSc programs Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Earth Climate and Technology and Offshore and Dredging Engineering can include the MDP module in their curriculum. Students at CEG that are enrolled in MSc programs Construction Management and Engineering (CME), Transport Infrastructure and Logistics (TIL) and Applied Geophysics (AGP) can choose to take the MDP module as an extracurricular elective. In the extracurricular case, the MDP credits do not count for the 120 credits necessary for these MSc programs.

Students from other faculties can be involved, yet permission from the MDP module coordinator is required for this. Students from other faculties can take MDP as an extracurricular elective or may include the MDP in their curriculum in consultation with their respective MSc program director.

After acquisition, the MDP consists of three phases:

Phase 1: Preliminary investigation.
Students start with a problem analysis resulting in a problem statement and an objective. Coupled to that, a project strategy will be formulated. This strategy includes which methods will be used, which contribution can different disciplines provide to the project, which steps have been passed through successively, which information is still necessary, where that information can be found etc. In addition, the organization of the group will be set up in this phase. This phase ends with a presentation of the project proposal to the client and supervisors.

Phase 2: Design and/or research.
During this phase students will execute the strategy developed under phase 1 will and adjust it if needed. The work may exist of research and/or of developing design alternatives or solution alternatives. Alternatives may be worked out for the complete problem or for sub-problems. Half-way this phase the progress is presented in a midterm presentation.

Phase 3: Round-off.
In the round-off, students deliver the project results to the client and supervisors. First, a draft report is discussed with the supervisor and client, whereupon the definite version is made. The participants evaluate the project, both regarding the content and regarding the project process. Also a public final presentation is given.