Thesis and Capstone Project Comparison In some ways the thesis and capstone project are similar. Both should follow the same basic outline and should represent a scholarly effort of high quality. As noted in the Graduate School requirements, "Graduate programs leading to the Master of Arts, Master of Science, or Doctor of Philosophy degrees emphasize the development of the student's ability for independent scholarly work and the creation of new knowledge through research. Practice-oriented programs, which ordinarily lead to the degree of master or doctor in a particular professional field, emphasize preparation of the student for professional practice at the frontiers of existing knowledge." Both capstone projects and theses should have a clear statement of the problem or issue to be addressed; a literature review which covers the important work related to the problem, with content clearly relating to the statement of problem; analysis of results; and statement of conclusions. When there is a question as to whether the proposal is a thesis or a capstone project, the proposal shall be submitted to the EDP Program Director for a decision. This must be done prior to registering for thesis or capstone project credits. The thesis should answer a question which contributes to new knowledge and is generalizable beyond a single setting. The thesis should be analytic, should systematically analyze data, and should develop and make appropriate inferences based on the analysis. The capstone project may answer a question of practical importance, or develop, test, and evaluate an intervention, curriculum, or protocol for application within a particular agency or community setting. A measure of quality of both theses and capstone projects relates to the clarity of thought process, beginning with the statement of the question or problem, to final statement of conclusions or recommendations. An additional measure of the quality of a capstone project may also relate to how effectively it contributes to carrying out the goals and objectives of the agency where the capstone project was done. For example, an evaluation of a program activity could result in either confirmation of how the program is being carried out, or point toward a set of recommendations which could significantly influence future program direction. Or a capstone project that includes descriptive information and statistical evidence could provide an analysis on which to base agency policy. In both instances, the capstone project could contribute significantly to the agency's mission and be appropriate as a scholarly effort to be presented in the format of a professional and/or scientific journal. A formal monitoring system to ensure satisfactory progress has been developed for both the thesis and the capstone project. A quarterly report is designed to establish continuing dialogue between the Thesis or Capstone Project Chair and the student. The Thesis or Capstone Project Chair and the Committee members provide guidance and final determination regarding acceptability of the quality of the final product. It is important that there be ongoing communication among students, committee and/or preceptors. The following summary table provides some general guidance regarding the distinctions between a thesis and capstone project. Individual guidelines for the thesis and for the capstone project should be consulted for information specific to each. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS THESIS CAPSTONE PROJECT
|Introduction |Introduction |
|Statement of study question |Statement of problem to be solved |
|Description of what is known about question/literature review |Background about the problem and the description of other pertinent |
|Importance of question and rationale for approach |information |
| |Importance of problem and rationale for approach |
|Methods |Methods |
|Framework/Design for analytic (hypothesis testing) or descriptive |Description of approach, and possible alternative approaches to |
|studies |problem |
|Setting (also describe potential interventions, if appropriate) |Setting (problem specific vs broad organization and community which |
|Data sources |may be discussed above in Introduction) |
|---Study subjects/population |Data and/or information available or collected, along with |
|---Measures |definitions of measures |
|---Data collection procedures |Define process for analysis of data and information (focus on |
|Analysis technique(s) |potential actions) |
|Presentation of Results |Description of Results and Findings |
|Discussion/Conclusions |Discussion/Recommendations, Describing Solutions to Problem |
|-- --Limitations of the study | |
| |Critical Evaluation of the Project in Meeting its Goals |
| |Executive Summary of -32 pages stating the capstone project goals, |
| |methods, results and recommendations, |
| |and including relevant tables and figures |