Your Capstone at UNH CPS: What to Expect and How to Succeed
Your capstone is the final course you complete in your major at the UNH College of Professional Studies. It is designed to showcase everything you’ve learned along the way. Think of it as your opportunity to pull together your skills, apply your knowledge, and create something that demonstrates both your academic growth and your professional potential. We see many students highlighting their capstones on their resumes as a way to stand out among their peers.
What is a Capstone?
Your capstone can take several different forms, depending on your program. Capstone projects vary by major and may take the form of:
- An applied research paper
- An industry-based or community-based project
- An internship with a reflection and research component
- A portfolio with professional development artifacts
What to Expect in Your Capstone Course
The capstone course is a culminating, writing-intensive experience that allows students to synthesize, apply, and reflect on the knowledge and skills gained throughout their academic program. Your capstone is designed to demonstrate your ability to:
- Integrate theory and practice from your discipline
- Conduct independent, applied, or scholarly research
- Apply ethical, professional, and communication standards
- Produce a substantial final product, such as a research paper, project, presentation, portfolio, or internship deliverable
This four-credit course spans a full semester and is required for all undergraduate majors. Advisor approval is required for registration. Before enrolling, students are expected to:
- Complete the majority of their major-specific coursework
- Complete CRIT 602: Advanced Critical Analysis and Strategic Thinking; and
- Complete IDIS 601: Interdisciplinary Seminar
To find out which capstone course you need to take, access your degree audit in WebCAT.
The Core Components
While each course is customized to its field, most capstones include the following elements:
Project or Research Proposal
Students begin by identifying a research question, problem, or professional need. This proposal is reviewed early in the course and guides the remainder of the semester.
Literature Review and Research
Students conduct in-depth academic research using peer-reviewed sources and, where applicable, workplace data or industry insights. Projects must demonstrate critical thinking and synthesis of current knowledge.
Writing and Revision
Capstones are writing-intensive, with multiple drafts and opportunities for instructor and peer feedback. Writing is completed in stages and must follow APA or other discipline-specific citation formats.
Weekly or Periodic Progress Reports
Students submit regular updates on their progress, reflecting on goals, challenges, and next steps. This supports time management and project pacing.
Discussions and Collaboration
Students engage in discussion forums to share progress, give feedback, and reflect on ethical, methodological, or theoretical issues relevant to their projects.
Professional Development
Many capstones include assignments such as a professional resume and cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and a self-assessment of strengths and future learning goals.
Presentation and Reflection
Some courses include a presentation or peer-review process. All students complete a reflective component that articulates the integration of learning and identifies future goals.
Final Project Examples
Capstone Project Examples:
History Archive:
During an 80-hour internship, the student assisted with digitizing Revolutionary War letters, cataloging primary source materials, and creating an educational guide for teachers. The research paper examined how historical preservation influences regional identity.
Social Media Campaign:
The student created a refreshed visual brand kit and three-month social media content calendar for a small nonprofit. The project included a short literature review on effective nonprofit branding and a portfolio of redesigned templates.
Healthy Lunch Food Guide:
For this capstone, the student conducted exploratory research on healthy eating programs within high schools. Based on their literature review and analysis, the student developed a food guide with recipes, portion tips, and other tips for providing information on healthy eating for teenagers. Included a short evaluation plan to measure toolkit effectiveness.
Test Anxiety Survey:
The student designed a short anonymous online survey for 30–50 peers, analyzed results descriptively (no complex stats), and compared findings to existing research on study habits and anxiety.
Body Camera Policies
For this project, the student chose three U.S. cities with differing body camera regulations and evaluated outcomes using existing research. Project included a literature, research on evaluating the effectiveness of body cameras and included recommendations for balancing transparency, privacy, and cost.
You’ll Start Early
Because each capstone has specific requirements, it’s a good idea to start talking with your advisor at least one semester in advance. They’ll help you decide whether a project-based or internship-based capstone makes the most sense for you and walk you through any approval steps you’ll need to take.
During the capstone course, you will work with your instructor and other students in the class to develop your critical inquiry question, conduct research and evaluate evidence, provide a literature review (if applicable), and submit at least one draft of your final paper. Ideally, you will have given some thought to your capstone course when you take CRIT 602 Advanced Critical Analysis and IDIS 601 Interdisciplinary Seminar, as those courses are designed to help prepare the skills you will need to develop to complete a successful capstone. For more information, please consult the course description for your Capstone course or discuss requirements with your advisor or Program Director. Students in a teacher licensure program should review the requirements found through your bachelor degree program website.
Key to Success: Engage with Your Instructor
When you begin your integrative capstone course with your personal and professional goals clearly defined and a critical inquiry or research question identified for your project, your instructor can then help you refine your question and identify activities and resources to support your project. Integrative capstone faculty have extensive industry knowledge to ensure that your project will support your personal and professional goals for the future, so we encourage you to take advantage of their expertise.
You’ve Got This!
Your Integrative Capstone course is an exciting opportunity, allowing you to reflect on your education and create a project that can propel your future goals. But preparing for your course ahead of time is key. To be successful you’ll want to understand your options, reflect on your goals, strategically decide upon a project, and speak with your faculty to gain their perspective.