The capstone requirement has two objectives. First, it enables you to acquire, demonstrate, integrate, reflect on, apply, and deepen competencies central to the MPA degree and to your future. Second, a capstone project prepares you for a position you hope to get upon graduation. Your capstone project is a public demonstration of your learning process here at MIIS: through it, you show your peers and faculty how far you have progressed. A public sharing of your work is required. How you do that is open for negotiation.

The capstone seminar helps you produce a deliverable which you are proud to submit to employers, working professionals in the field you wish to enter, and/or journals. Choice of capstone projects is limitless and students who perform best are those that creatively identify a project and product that is meaningful to them.

Approach

My role as seminar faculty is threefold. I am process guide; I am learning/support group facilitator; I am quality standard upholder. I am not content help. I am not responsible for reminding you of everything you have or should have learned in your classes here at MIIS. Capstone is your chance to interrogate yourself, to look deep to see what you have and have not learned, to revisit previous class contents and tools. You should expect no new content, as a result, apart from – perhaps – public speaking and presentation/argumentation competencies.

While we have a formal weekly meeting time, we will not use it every week. Our schedule of meetings will be established month-by-month.