CAPSTONE PROJECT TITLE
A proposal by
[insert name here]
in partial fulfillment of the Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies
[day month, year]
[insert name here], Committee Chair
[insert name here], Committee Member
[insert name here], Committee Member
[insert name here], Additional Committee Member (optional)
Proposed Concentration: [insert title here]
In this section, you need to provide a description of your concentration that gives it a
somewhat broad context so people know what interests you (e.g.“My concentration in Water
Policy addresses water quality standards and how local governments formulate and enforce
them.”) You should then list the five courses you feel have given you the tools to learn more
about and understand a concentration topic and provide a simple rationale for the courses you
included in the list. Most of the time, a course title will make it self-evident why you included it
in the list, so your rationale can be somewhat general. For the water policy example, if POL282
(Public Policy) was one of the courses, you wouldn’t need to specifically say why you included
it, just that you have a basic understanding of how policies influence behaviors. If, however, you
were including a kinesiology course in your list, you will need to give a detailed reason as to
why, since for most committees, it would seem rather bazaar. Remember that at least two of
these five courses must be at or above the 300-level.
Courses defining this concentration:
1. Course Name (DEPT ###); [add rationale]
2. Course Name (DEPT ###); [add rationale]
3. Course Name (DEPT ###); [add rationale]
4. Course Name (DEPT ###); [add rationale]
Last edited April, 2016 5. Course Name (DEPT ###); [add rationale]
Capstone Proposal
There is no set length to the body of the proposal although thoughtful and detailed proposals will
likely be 1-2 single-spaced pages. Below is a discussion of the content you should include in
your proposal, and although these seem somewhat defined, particular examples may not be
relevant for your specific situation. Therefore, you can save yourself a lot of aggravation by
developing this proposal in consultation with your capstone advisor. Please be also vigilant
about citing references to the knowledge and ideas that inspired your capstone project.
Your proposal should include:
•
an introductory background section where you provide the reader with information
necessary to understand the overall context of your project. This section should frame
the “big picture” context of your capstone and should serve as a lead up to the specific
objectives, goals, or research questions you intend to address. A good thing to include
here are sources of uncertainty or conflicting hypotheses that have led to the development
of your project.
•
a methodology section where you describe how you are going to accomplish your
project. This section could include specific scientific techniques, or ways you will collect
survey data, or locations you need to travel to access specific information. You are trying
to convince your committee that you have identified the resources necessary to be
successful. Be specific as you write this and avoid saying things like “I will conduct a
survey of people eating lunch to find their food preferences.” Your committee will want
to know details such as how many people, how old are they, where they are eating lunch,
and on what days? You should also discuss issues of funding (do you need money for
this?) and scheduling (how are you going to fit this in with your other classes?)
•
an ‘outcome’ statement describing how you are going to report on your project when
you finish. The ENV program requires you to submit a written report and to present
your work in front of your capstone committee. There is flexibility in the type of written
report and where you do you presentation, and again this requires you to consult with
your capstone advisor.
•
a bibliography listing relevant sources. An example citation is below, but you should
check with you committee about specific requirements regarding formatting.
References (example)
Smith, A.B., Jones, C.F., and Brown, K.L. (2010) X-ray analysis techniques for
bipedal clay fractions. Journal of X-Ray Investigation, v. 41, pp. 119-132.
Last edited April, 2016 For other types of capstones (internships, etc.) many of the same types of questions must be
addressed. Consider the following:
What is the capstone? Who (on- and perhaps off-campus) will supervise it? How is this
capstone relevant to your ENV studies? What issues will the capstone address and how will it
address them? What do you hope to gain from the experience, and how will your capstone be
documented and presented to a larger audience?
Last edited April, 2016