Overview
course provides students with the opportunity to integrate, apply and demonstrate mastery of your foundational courses in the MPA program. The Capstone Project integrates core knowledge across the MPA curriculum and allows the student to select a subject area of their own choice. Students will prepare a project or solution proposal for their selected agency or organization involving application of analytical skills, knowledge, management and research tools acquired in previous courses to address a specific objective or need. Your Capstone Project must involve a real agency or organization; this could be an organization you currently work for or volunteer with or may be an agency or organization that you seek to work for in the future. Choice of your topic and project is intentionally left open to your imagination. Your project or solution should address a significant public administration or policy issue/need for your organization. It will essentially become your “client” for this project. Your Capstone Project may address a range of topics but will ultimately be a project or solution proposal that will be presented to your organization. interest. Perhaps the organization needs to incorporate a new IT project? Or do they need to realign a division of the organization to make better use of staff and resources? It may be that your organization needs to add a new division or take on new “clientele” of their own. Approach this project as an opportunity to propose a project or solution that will positively impact the mission and operation of the organization. You will: • Clearly identify the problem or issue being addressed by your project – What evidence is there to establish that this is a project that needs to be taken on by your organization? • Critically assess any available data. If there isn’t any current data, an element of your project may be to identify and gather data. • Discuss how you plan to address the issue. What is your rationale for this approach? Did you consider alternatives? • Your project should thoroughly assess the organizational impact of your project or solution. Consider personnel and human resources perspectives, finance and budget perspectives, policy and ethics perspective, cost/benefit perspectives, etc. Are there training considerations? How will these areas have to adapt or change with the adoption of your project or solution? • Address obstacles to the proposal and how to overcome those obstacles. After you have gone through the Capstone Project overview, brainstorm ideas for your project. There is no set format for this task so feel free to go about it however you wish.
You are free to use whatever brainstorming method you prefer. For your submission, share what you worked on in some way. You may end up sharing a document, a screenshot, a scan of handwritten notes, etc.