Capstone

The proposal must include the following:

• Detailed statement of the rationale for the capstone project;
• List of the parts of the project (including the introductory essay);
• Plan for the revision and/or production of the parts of the project;
• Detailed timeline for the completion of the parts of the project, which will include the dates when the student will give committee members work and the dates when faculty will return the student's work  with comments;
• Detailed plan for how the student will get advice from committee members and for how the student will respond to that advice (i.e., face-to-face, via email, etc.); and
• Cover sheet.

Note: Potential committee members may request a written proposal before they agree to serve on your committee.

Faculty who have been your instructors and who will, consequently, know you and your work are much more likely to be willing to work with you than those who don't know you at all. It is composed of two members of the MAPW faculty. Preferably, both members, but at least one member, must teach in your concentration. The faculty who have agreed to be on capstone committees are responsible for advising the student in terms of:

• drafting, completing, and filing the Capstone Proposal before the last day of classes in the semester before the student enrolls in PRWR 7960: MAPW Capstone Project;
• suggesting and discussing the capstone's focus and format;
• suggesting and discussing the introductory essays’ focus, shape, and content;
• suggesting a reading list or avenue of research, if needed;
• arranging and/or approving a timeline for the student's completion of research, documents, or media presentations; and
• reviewing and amending the schedule of tasks and the timeline and monitoring the schedule and timeline, taking into account the official incomplete policy in the Graduate Catalog.

Faculty who have agreed to be on capstone committees are also responsible for facilitating the completion of the capstone by:

• reading drafts of documents, annotating the drafts with suggestions or corrections, and suggesting revision in the writing;
• conferencing with the student in terms of specific tasks in the timeline for completing the capstone;
• conferencing with the student regarding theoretical issues and/or readings attendant to the capstone;
• reading and approving the final draft of the capstone; 
• advising about and approving the public presentation of the capstone; and
• signing and distributing all attendant documents on time. 

It is strongly recommended to select your capstone committee at least two (2) semesters, but no later than the beginning of the semester you plan to begin your capstone proposal.

Once your committee approves your proposal, complete the Capstone Project Proposal Cover Sheet and attach the proposal (see button below) before or on the last day of class of the semester before the one in which you plan on beginning your capstone project.

After you've submitted the proposal, the Program Coordinator will enter an override for you so that you may enroll in PRWR 7960 MAPW Capstone Project. The capstone class will always be listed as closed, and you have to register this way with the overrides in place.  

You must enroll in PRWR 7960 each semester during which you're working on the capstone and enter three (3) or six (6) credit hours, or what is recommended by your committee. 

All capstones will be a thesis, unless the student’s committee decides otherwise, and this should be thoroughly discussed with the committee members.

• Given the unique qualities of the capstone, the committee may decide that the student should do a portfolio or a practicum instead of a thesis.

Each student is responsible for adhering to the formatting requirements. Any deviation from the requirements must be reviewed and approved by the student’s capstone committee.

Students are required to submit a capstone project free of stylistic, mechanical, grammatical, and formatting errors, and it is their responsibility to ensure this.

The arrangement of the manuscript is determined by your committee, and may or may not include all of the noted materials.

1. Title page (see sample of a capstone title page here)
2. Table of Contents 
3. Introductory essay (if required by the student’s capstone committee)
   1. that provides background information on the contents of the capstone project that will contribute to an informed reading of it;
   2. that contains discussions of theories, processes, and or practical skills which the student  has learned and the effect on the creation of the works;
   3. in which the student may formulate an artistic statement; may write a narrative of his or her development as a writer up to this point;
   4. or may discuss a combination of these or related subjects;
4. Text of the capstone project; and
5. Curriculum vitae (CV), biography, or résumé that
   1. doesn't exceed three pages; and
   2. highlights the student's achievements in a field or fields of professional writing, including previous education in professional writing, attendance at workshops or professional conventions, prizes and awards, a list of publications, and paid or volunteer employment in the field of professional writing. 

NOTE: Students may add an optional acknowledgment page between pages 2 and 3 on which they may make a brief statement of gratitude for special assistance.

• Each page must have a margin of 1.5" on the left and at least 1" on the other three sides.
• On the first page of every major division (e.g., chapter, table of contents, references, etc.), a 2" margin is required at the top.  
• All tables and figures must conform to the margin requirements (photographic reproduction—with enlargement or reduction—may be necessary).  
• A subhead at the bottom of the page must have at least two full lines of type below it, or it should begin on the next page. 

Beginning with the title page, every page is assigned a number. The preliminaries are numbered in lower-case Roman numerals placed without punctuation in the center of the page at least 3/4" (5 lines) from the bottom of the page. The title page and the certificate of approval are considered to be pages i and ii, but numbers are not typed on them.

Text and reference pages are numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals beginning with 1 on the first page of the text. The numbers are placed without punctuation in the upper right corner 1 inch from the right and at least 3/4" (5 lines) from the top of the page. All pages of the text and reference material, including appendices, references, and cover sheets (if used) are counted and numbered. 

• The general text of the capstone project is double-spaced and in a 12-point font, such as Times New Roman.
• The required page length, which varies depending on the type of capstone, does not include front or back matter. 
• Single spacing is used for long tables, itemized or tabular material, footnotes, multi-line captions. Long quotations and reference entries should be spaced following the style used throughout the project (e.g. APA, Chicago, MLA).
• Photographs can be printed from the negatives on 8.5" x 11" photographic paper to eliminate the problems involved in attaching photographs to thesis paper. Charts, maps, drawings, etc., may be photographed on 8.5" x 11" photographic paper.
• If illustrations are mounted, dry mounting or permanent paper cement (dried under weight) may be used. Do not mount with rubber cement, glue, photo-mounting corners, tape, or staples.
• Use of oversized material should be avoided. If a folded page must be used, the folded edge should be at least 1/4" from the right edge of the manuscript to avoid cutting at the bindery. The page number should appear in the upper right-hand corner of the folded page in alignment with the pagination in the text.
• Large materials may be folded and inserted in a pocket in the appendices.