Capstone course

A capstone course, also known as capstone unit or a senior thesis or senior seminar serves as the culminating and usually integrative experience of an educational program.[1] A capstone course, module, project, subject, or unit in the higher education context may also be referred to as a capstone experience, senior seminar (in the U.S.), or final year project or dissertation (more common in the U.K.).

The term derives from the final decorative coping or "cap-stone" used to complete a building or monument. In higher education, the term has been in common use in the USA since the mid-twentieth century, although there is evidence that it was in use as early as the late 1800s.[2] It has gradually been gaining currency in other countries, particularly where attention has focused on student outcomes and employability in undergraduate studies. National grant projects in Australia[3][4][5] and the U.K. have further raised the profile of the capstone experience.[6]