Practicum & Capstone

Prior to registration, students will fill out an interest form from the Graduate Business Programs Office, which is available. Students should be aware that once enrolled in a Practicum or Capstone course there will be a penalty incurred if they decide to drop after a specific deadline.

MS Business Analytics & MS Information Systems Description

Practicum

In this option, students work in teams with a sponsoring company to help solve business problems related to analytics or information technology studied in their program. The students work closely with company employees, managers, and executives under the direction of a faculty advisor. Students are responsible for the entire process, from project requirements to implementation. During this process, students form valuable working relationships with project team members, faculty mentors, and leaders in the sponsoring company. This option spans a minimum of two quarters and is viewed as a single project-oriented course students are encouraged to participate in this option versus the capstone.

Students will be interviewed and assigned to a team, which the Practicum Program Manager selects to complete each project. Student teams will be limited in size, with typically four or five students in a group. The student team will define the problem, perform a feasibility study, analyze the problem, design a solution, and implement that solution to satisfy the sponsoring client. Participation in this option is competitive, and there are only a limited number of such projects per year. The process for this option is as follows:

  • Students interview with the Practicum Program Manager.
  • A team is made up of four or five students. The Program Director assigns a faculty advisor to the project. The team is registered for the corresponding course (2 units for the first portion of the cycle).
  • In coordination with the sponsoring company, the team defines the problem and performs a feasibility study. The team develops a formal project plan with specific milestones and begins the process of creating a final project plan for presentation and approval of the sponsored client.
  • The program team registers students for completing the course in the next subsequent quarter. The student team and the advisor meet as needed to discuss the project, address questions, and assess progress toward completion.
  • The student team should complete the project over approximately two quarters. A project is considered complete when all its milestones are achieved, and the advisor and the client have accepted the final project report. A formal sign-off by the sponsoring company is required. The time span of the project may exceed two quarters.
  • There will be a single grade for both courses. That grade will be assigned after the completion of the project. Students may take one elective course while taking this option.
  • Students with a full-time job are discouraged from taking additional courses while enrolled in this option.

Upon completion of the Industry Practicum Option, student participants must submit the Completion of Practicum Project form with the appropriate faculty signatures (faculty director and advisor) and assigned grades to the Graduate Business Programs Office. The grade will be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for posting for all courses.

Capstone

Capstone: Students selecting this option can satisfy their capstone requirement by working on a self-defined business analytics or information technology project approved by the MSIS or MSBA program director. This option, upon approval, is expected to span a minimum of two quarters, and students are encouraged to start the process once they have completed most of their core courses. Students are responsible for the project completion, and students should submit all deliverables stated in their project proposal, including a working prototype and the final report summarizing their results and the learning experiences.

This option consists of two Capstone courses: MSIS 2x45 (2 unit) (for project proposal) & MSIS 2x46 (4 units)) (for project execution). It is intended that the first course will be completed in three months, during which students are expected to write a successful project proposal and identify the knowledge and skills needed for project execution, required data, and resources necessary for project completion.  Given the length of the design project option, students deciding to pursue this option should contact the Capstone Project Manager one year before the expected graduation date.

The design project option is initiated by students and supervised by a faculty. The objective of the design project is to focus on an area of personal/group interest, possibly a start-up concept, solving a self-initiated problem by applying and integrating the knowledge gained in their program. Students will develop extra-curricular skills (decision-making, negotiation, making contacts, confidence building, and teamwork) and demonstrate skills and competencies to enhance employability and entrepreneurship. Students will be interviewed, and a team will be selected by the Capstone Project Manager. The team will be limited in size, with typically three or four students in a group. The team will define the problem, perform a feasibility study, analyze the problem, design a solution, and implement the project.

The process for this option is as follows:

  • One or more students prepare a 1-2 page preliminary project proposal, which should include a rationale for conducting the design project, a description of the problem(s) of interest, learning objectives, data or other resources to be used, required reading, expected expertise and support, and deliverables upon project completion.
  • This preliminary project proposal is submitted to the Capstone Project Manager. The Capstone Project Manager, at this stage, could ask the students to change/revise the preliminary project proposals to ensure the consistent format and quality of the proposal. Upon acceptance of the proposal, he selects the remaining team members based on the preliminary project proposal, required skills, and experiences. The Program Director and the Capstone Project Manager will then assign a Faculty Advisor to the project.
  • The team will be registered for the first course.
  • The team, in coordination with the Faculty Advisor, will finalize the problem definition and develop a formal project proposal which should include the following:
    – A clear description of the problem/creative enterprise A preliminary survey / review of relevant literature
    – A description of the proposed methodology
    – Expected outcome/product (which will include a fully functional prototype) Method of evaluation
    – The time frame and project meeting schedule
    – Online platform used for team discussion and maintaining research diary
  • Next, the team will be registered for the completing 4 unit course. A project is considered complete when all its milestones are achieved, a working prototype is produced, and the final project report has been accepted by the Faculty Advisor and the Program Director. Note that the time span of the project execution depends on the team's progress and may exceed two quarters.
  • There will be a single grade for both courses. That grade will be assigned after the completion of the project.
  • Students may take one elective course while taking this capstone option. Students with a full-time job are discouraged from taking additional courses while enrolled in this option.

MS Finance & Analytics Description

Practicum

In this option, students work in teams with an industry partner and under the guidance and supervision of a faculty advisor to solve a pre-identified problem with a data/analytical component. Students are responsible for the entire process, from project requirements to implementation. During this process, students form valuable working relationships with project team members, faculty mentors, and leaders in the sponsoring company. This option spans two quarters, during which students are expected to dedicate five to six hours per week.

Capstone

Students selecting this option can satisfy their experiential-learning requirement by working in teams on a pre-defined problem under the guidance and supervision of a faculty advisor. Students are responsible for the project completion, and students should submit all deliverables, including a working prototype and the final report summarizing their results and the learning experiences. This option is entirely contained in one quarter, during which students are expected to dedicate 10 to 12 hours per week.

Registering Process 

Students will be notified in the first week of the Fall Quarter and only have two weeks from the notice to submit their interest in participating and enrolling in the following Cycles:

  • Winter-Spring Practicum (Applicable to the following programs only: MSBA, Online MSBA, MSIS, MSFA, Online MSFA) **recommended cycle**
  • Summer-Fall Practicum (Applicable to the following program only: Online MSBA) *Based on availability, not guaranteed to occur*
  • Spring Capstone (Applicable to the following programs only: MSFA, Online MSFA)
  • Fall Capstone (Applicable to the following programs only: MSFA, Online MSFA)

Cycles are subjected to change based on availability. Students are not allowed to change their selection after the deadline has passed.