Capstone courses and projects

Capstone experiences are required of many students in their final year of undergraduate study in colleges and universities across the United States and the world. A senior capstone is meant to be a culminating project representing the synthesis of a student’s cumulative learning—whether it is called a “capstone course,” a “senior seminar,” an “undergraduate thesis,” or by another name. Often, senior capstones consist of lengthy research projects or papers but may also be performances, portfolios, or exhibits.1 As a high-impact educational practice, a capstone should be a structured experience, designed “using pedagogies such as integration, reflection, and application to deliver on outcomes including team-building, employment skills, communication skills, analytical and critical thinking, and problem-solving competencies.”2 Capstone projects may be required only of students within specific majors or academic programs at some institutions and of all graduating seniors at others