Graduate students across many disciplines work on capstone projects that aim to address important real-world issues and problem through applied research and proposed solutions. These projects allow students to conduct independent research, analyze complex problems, and develop meaningful conclusions and recommendations based on their acquired knowledge and skills during their graduate studies. Some common types of problems addressed in capstone projects include:
Health issues – Projects focused on healthcare and public health often examine issues like improving access to care, addressing health disparities, developing new treatment approaches, promoting preventive strategies, and responding to infectious disease outbreaks. For example, a nursing capstone may evaluate models for expanding primary care services in underserved rural communities. A public health capstone could assess strategies for enhancing vaccination rates. Medical sciences capstones sometimes involve laboratory or clinical research developing new diagnostic tests or therapies.
Environmental challenges – Sustainable management of natural resources and protecting the environment are priorities that many capstones in environmental science, conservation, and earth sciences address. Common topics include combating climate change by measuring its local impacts and advancing mitigation/adaptation approaches, evaluating policies to reduce pollution and waste, analyzing land use plans to balance development and habitat protection, and assessing renewable energy potentials and infrastructure needs. For instance, a forestry capstone may model reforestation efforts after a wildfire. An environmental engineering capstone could propose improvements to urban stormwater management.
Social issues – Graduate programs in social work, education, criminal justice, public policy, and related fields regularly produce capstones aimed at tackling critical social problems. Examples include exploring restorative justice models for juvenile offenders, developing trauma-informed classroom techniques, crafting anti-poverty initiatives, enhancing foster care support systems, addressing educational inequities, assisting vulnerable populations like veterans or the elderly, reducing recidivism, and promoting social inclusion. A social work capstone may evaluate a shelter program for domestic violence survivors. An education leadership capstone could explore strategies for improving literacy rates.
Economic challenges – Issues like unemployment, income inequality, lack of affordable housing, small business support, workforce development, infrastructure needs, and economic diversification are priorities for many capstones in fields such as business administration, economics, urban planning, and public administration. For instance, an MBA capstone may propose a business plan for a startup company operating in an underserved market. An economic development capstone could analyze approaches for retraining displaced factory workers. An urban planning capstone may create a redevelopment proposal for a vacant downtown area.
Technology/infrastructure issues – As technology progresses rapidly, capstones in engineering, computer science, and related STEM programs regularly aim to apply research and innovation to problems involving transportation networks, communications systems, energy grids, manufacturing processes, construction materials, and more. Examples include designing assistive technologies to support those with disabilities, developing algorithmic tools to address cybersecurity threats, exploring renewable energy infrastructure for rural communities, employing IoT sensors to monitor infrastructure integrity, and creating systems to optimize traffic flow or public transit ridership. A civil engineering capstone may model improvements to an aging water treatment plant. A computer science capstone could build an app promoting civic engagement.
This sampling of topics illustrates how capstone projects provide graduate students opportunities to conduct applied research that directly addresses concrete problems encountered in their professional fields and communities. By focusing on real-world issues, these culminating academic experiences allow insights gained through advanced study to be put to practical use, evaluating challenges through rigorous analysis and proposing evidence-based solutions that could potentially be implemented. While individual projects may not solve immense societal dilemmas alone, collectively they promote applying multidisciplinary perspectives to improve people’s lives and advance pressing causes through innovative thinking and collaborative work.