The Capstone Experience
A Showcase of Informatics Majors' Strengths
The Capstone is intended to be an integrative experience in which you bring together much of the knowledge and skills you have acquired during the first four quarters of the Informatics major. The Capstone experience is student-defined, meaning that students will take responsibility for:
- identifying and defining the problem they will work on
- developing the approach and methods they will take to address the problem
- carrying out the investigation
- presenting findings, as appropriate, in both oral and written form.
A capstone project may be a brand new project, an extension of a project begun in another course, or an extension of a faculty research project. Students are encouraged to work in teams of their choosing; however, individual projects are also fine.
Suggested Timeline
Spring Quarter
- Take INFO 360 and INFO 330
- Attend the Capstone Event to see what other students have done for their capstone projects, and talk with graduating students about their experiences with the Capstone
Summer Quarter
- Begin to think about what sort of capstone you might wish to pursue
- Brainstorm some possible projects—we recommend coming up with 5-6 different sorts of projects or questions here
- Think about possible collaborators and begin some informal discussions
Autumn Quarter
- Take INFO 470
- Narrow down your choice of projects to 2 or 3, and settle on a team
- Choose one project to pursue and finalize your team
- Submit Capstone Statement of Intent by designated date, typically in mid-October before Thanksgiving break
The Capstone experience is an opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge you have been learning in the major. The Capstone event will allow you to showcase the skills you possess to a larger audience, and successful Capstone projects have in some instances led directly to interviews for professional positions post-graduation.
For more information about the Capstone experience, please consult the Student Handbook.