A capstone project is a project that you complete during your final year of study as part of a capstone course. In the same way that a thesis serves as a culmination of your studies, so too does a capstone project. As an education student in graduate school, this project lets you show the school that you developed the skills necessary for graduation and that you have a strong understanding of your subjects. Though you might think that this is a requirement for earning your Master’s in Education, not all schools require that you complete this step.
Top 10 Best Online Master’s in Education Degree Programs (M.Ed.) 2016
What is a Capstone Course?
According to the Glossary of Education Reform, a capstone project is a final project that you complete during your last year in an educational program. It shows that you have a high level of experience and a deep understanding of the subjects that you studied, but it can also show that you have experience working in a classroom and with students of your own. Many colleges that offer educational graduate programs will give students completing one of these projects three to four credits that will count towards the minimum number of credits needed for graduation.
Ideas for Education Students
As an education major, you have a number of options for completing your capstone course. You might do research on different ways of teaching music to special needs students before actually experimenting with those methods in a classroom to identify the best one. Your capstone work often depends on the concentration you select, too. A student studying educational leadership might look at whether a year-round school is a better option than a traditional school or at which types of schedules best benefit administrators. You might even do a project on teaching methodologies for working with students of different ages.
Is it Mandatory?
Despite what you might think, not all colleges require that grad students take a capstone course or complete a project while enrolled in a graduate program. Your college may require that you do fieldwork and complete a portfolio in lieu of this project. The portfolio will include pictures of you and your students and some of the work they do. Some schools now let students create digital portfolios that include videos of them teaching their classes. You may have the option of writing a thesis paper in lieu of doing an independent project, too. Always check with your college or university regarding the requirements it has in place for graduate education students.
Thesis vs. Capstone
Though a capstone project is similar to a thesis, the two are also quite different. A thesis requires that you come up with a topic, get that topic approved by your adviser and then spend several semester or a full year doing research before writing up your findings. A capstone project lets you spend more time working and less time researching. Many of the projects available to you will let you actually do work in a local school or classroom for course credit, but you may need to write up your findings at the end of your project.
You can teach with just a bachelor’s degree and a license in your state, but earning a master’s degree can increase the teaching opportunities available to you. Though many colleges require that graduate education students do a capstone project, others let you write a thesis or create a portfolio instead.
