How to Write a Capstone Project?

What is a Capstone project?

A Capstone project is typically a Master's level project in which students apply their knowledge of the coursework to study a specific topic. Capstone projects usually have practical value and are suited for students enrolled in health, social service or public administration courses. Master's level students are required to complete a thesis or a capstone project for successful graduation.

Capstone projects are tailored according to individual learning and each student can choose their capstone project according to their academic or professional experience. Students preparing to become working professionals in health, social work or public administration need to know how to apply their theoretical knowledge in real world scenarios. Capstone projects can take one to two semesters to complete and students are required to have sufficient knowledge of the coursework and the basic concepts and theories before starting a capstone project. So, just like a thesis, a capstone project is given just before graduation to assess whether the student is able to apply the theoretical concepts to practical or professional settings.

What is the purpose of a Capstone project?

Capstone projects are aimed to prepare students for the practical application of their knowledge. Students enrolled in Master's level coursework are expected to have skills-based knowledge necessary to come up with a relevant capstone project. Ethics, leadership, public administration, health, social service and statistics are some of the popular courses that require capstone project completion by students. Capstone projects are used primarily at Universities for certain Master's level programs and just like a thesis, capstone projects are primarily used as tools for assessment of student learning and knowledge.

Capstone projects are used by Universities to understand the level of practical knowledge in students and how they are able to apply this knowledge to work related settings.

How to write a great Capstone project?

A capstone project begins with a working idea for a practical project application and students are first required to write a capstone project proposal. This project proposal is a few pages long, almost like a research proposal and comprises of the necessary parts such as introduction, hypothesis, rationale, theories, literature review, research methods, data, evidence and analysis. After writing your capstone proposal you must consult your supervisor and seek advice on the feasibility of your study. After your proposal is approved, focus on a strong introduction and project problem. What is the core concept or problem you wish to investigate through your capstone project and how will you collect and interpret your data? You must regularly consult your advisor while working on your proposal and your project. You may also want to seek professional help and guidance on how to formulate a capstone project proposal and how to collect and interpret data for analysis.

What are the different types of Capstone projects?

There are many types of capstone projects and the most popular ones are case studies and evaluations. There are other capstone projects that use data from discussion or focus groups, surveys, questionnaires, outcome based evaluations and program based evaluations. Master's level programs in different subjects have different sets of capstone project specifications and students are required to complete projects on a wide variety of topics. Case studies are highly popular as capstone projects for students looking to incorporate qualitative data.

Concluding Remarks

Capstone projects are like research papers or theses but with a wider scope. Capstone projects are used as assessment tools for Master's level programs and are primarily focused on assessing students seeking to apply their theoretical knowledge to work related settings. Capstone projects are assessed on the basis of scope, originality, method or process of inquiry and independent study.