In the Fall, you'll take CPSD200. We also require you have a sophomore "dialogue with the staff" and that you attend one excursion per semester (just like you did as freshmen!). In the Spring, however, the vast majority of you will sign up for one of the following options: CPSD230, CPSD240, or CPSD250; some of you will sign up for a different course assuming we approve it as a capstone project. See descriptions in the "advice" download below for more information. This is true even if you "did" your capstone the previous Summer or Fall.

Sometimes the hardest step is figuring out what you want to do! Here is our advice on looking for a capstone.

Perhaps you came to UMCP because it is the only major research university "inside the Beltway." For those of you specifically looking for public service internships in government or politics, check out UMD's Center for Democratic and Civic Engagement. This would include those looking to get involved with science and technology policy.

We expect great things from you for your capstone project. Previous SDU scholars have done everything from research on campus in the Rotorcraft Center, the Cognition and Development Lab, or the Space Systems Lab to building Leonardo Da Vinci's Mechanical Drum (shown at right) for a DC-based theater performance, to business internships at Morgan Stanley. Many students choose service learning efforts such as Lakeland Stars organized by Scholars Central (CAUTION: deadline for application is usually the 1st week of the semester!), or helping at the Campus Writing Center or Math Success. We recently partnered with Howard B. Owens Science Center and three SDU students helped them develop a host of educational programming.

Whatever you choose to do to impress us and add skills to your résumé, there are steps you need to take to fulfill the requirements of our Capstone:

• First, you must check in with the director to see if your choice will work for SDU;
• once you start your capstone, stay on top of the Capstone Paperwork;
• create a poster for the Academic Showcase held in late Spring (we did a virtual version in 2020)

The scholarship in practice courses have additional requirements (such as CPSP359D, S or W, or CPSP249E, etc.). If you do your capstone through Scholars Central or with another program, such as STS's robotics service learning project, keep in mind that you may have to report to more than one person about your progress!

photo credits: Neal Miller (top); Alan Peel (lower right)

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Last Modified: Jun 2022 subject to change