Share Your Interdisciplinary Skills
The capstone project (IDS 499) class is an online course that culminates all areas of your interdisciplinary studies into a main project which showcases your unique skills and knowledge. The course will help you prepare for a professional career as you complete your Interdisciplinary Studies degree.
Share Your Interdisciplinary Skills
The capstone project (IDS 499) class is an online course that culminates all areas of your interdisciplinary studies into a main project which showcases your unique skills and knowledge. The course will help you prepare for a professional career as you complete your Interdisciplinary Studies degree.
Showcase What You’ve Learned
The capstone project is a great way to demonstrate what you’re passionate about with hands-on experience.
Develop Project Management Skills
Enhance your ability to manage a project through to a polished, successful finish. Learn how to be a leader in your industry.
Prepare for Your Career
Your project can inspire your future career and provide you with a clear path for what you want to do. You’ll graduate with confidence by really understanding how your disciplines fit together.
Choose a Project You’re Passionate About
A successful capstone project is based on what you are passionate about. It should reflect the areas of her interdisciplinary studies program (i.e., your emphasized area and secondary areas). Consider the following ideas when choosing and designing your project:
- What do you really want to do once you graduate from BYU-Idaho?
- What needs does your industry have that you can contribute to?
- In what ways will this project help you develop your own voice in what you’re passionate about?
Successful Capstone Projects
Example 1:
Building Bilingual Bridges. IDS student Natalie Bodily brought Spanish and TESOL together to write bilingual children’s books for immersion programs in elementary schools.
Example 2:
Merging Home and Business. IDS student Nicole Thurgood wrote a research paper detailing how principles of successful communication, responsibility, hard work, and productivity benefit the home and the workforce.
Example 3:
Promoting Local Music. IDS student Brenden Taylor recorded video and audio tracks for local musicians and hosted performances at a local venue.
“You can come up with an amazing project because I have seen it happen over and over again.”
Adam Vorderstrasse,
BYU-Idaho Certificates and Degrees Curriculum Manager
Choose a Project Mentor
A project mentor is someone who has professional experience related to your project topic. Mentors are a vital resource to help you gain your own voice and contribution to your area of study. While working with a mentor, you will receive feedback, advice, and tips about your project through the course. When choosing a mentor, consider the following:
- Who do you know that has professional experience in your field of study?
- Is there a BYU-Idaho faculty member, employee, group, business, or someone in the community that can be a mentor?
- Will a potential mentor have time to meet with you to discuss and offer feedback and guidance on your project?
Choose a Project Mentor
A project mentor is someone who has professional experience related to your project topic. Mentors are a vital resource to help you gain your own voice and contribution to your area of study. While working with a mentor, you will receive feedback, advice, and tips about your project through the course. When choosing a mentor, consider the following:
- Who do you know that has professional experience in your field of study?
- Is there a BYU-Idaho faculty member, employee, group, business, or someone in the community that can be a mentor?
- Will a potential mentor have time to meet with you to discuss and offer feedback and guidance on your project?
Choose a mentor who is eager to help you succeed. Keep in mind that:
- Your mentor cannot be a family member or a BYU-Idaho adjunct faculty member
- You must meet with your mentor at least five times through the duration of the course (i.e., once before you start your project, three times during the course, and once at the end of the course)
- The mentor’s feedback will become part of your overall grade for the course
Get Started on Your Capstone Project
Step 1: Decide on Your Project
Your project should relate to the areas of your interdisciplinary studies degree. Choose a project you’re passionate about.
Step 2: Find a Professional Mentor.
Start by talking with some of your professors to gain ideas about who might have an interest in your project and could serve as a mentor.
Step 3: Create a Project Proposal.
Plan out a project timeline and how you will submit your project when completed (e.g., website, research paper, portfolio, etc.).
Step 4: Complete Project Proposal Form.
Fill out the online project proposal form and submit it for approval. A PDF file with approval responses will be emailed to you. (Proposal submission deadlines are the first day of the semester you plan to take the IDS 499 course.) Approval might take 7-10 days.
Submit a Project Proposal
Submit a Project Proposal
Step 5: Register for the IDS 499 course.
Completing the Capstone Course
Along with your 50-hour capstone project, you will be given other assignments throughout the semester. You will learn how to demonstrate your proficiency in research, visual communication, writing, and presentation. At the end of the semester, you will give a professional presentation that outlines the goals, processes, and results of your project. Provide proof of your completed project (e.g., website, research paper, portfolio, etc.) in addition to your presentation.
Capstone Project FAQs
Your emphasis should be leading toward your career, but sometimes things don’t line up perfectly, so there is some flexibility there. You have to show that your project or internship relates to your emphasis, so you can’t go completely with something that doesn’t relate at all. If you do have a project/internship that has less of a connection directly to your emphasis but is really going to help you with what you plan to do in your future career, explain that in your proposal and how it will benefit you.
In week four of the capstone course, you will submit a revised proposal, which means you will have those first four weeks of the semester to try it out and see what problems you might run into and things that you might want to change. Whatever you submit in your revised proposal at the end of week 4 in the course will stick and that is what you’ll be graded on at the end of the semester.
You can only use one project idea for each capstone course, you won’t be able to receive credit for two different capstone project courses on the same project. For your project, you’ll need to work with whatever department to help you in your emphasis for the IDS 499 course, but don’t sign up for that department’s capstone project course in conjunction with the IDS capstone course for the same project.
There have been previous situations with students working for companies where they signed a non-disclosure agreement and there is a way for the school to work with those employers so that the student can present their work in a private setting and still get credit for their project. If you find yourself in this unique situation, schedule an appointment to meet with Sister Danae Romrell. Appointments are available in person, over Zoom, or over the phone.
On Campus Students: Your IDS 499 project must be presented at the Research and Creative Works Conference at the end of the semester.
Online/Off Campus Students: You’ll work with the instructor of the course to come up with an alternative place to present. It depends a lot on what your project is, but you have to present to an interested and invested audience of at least two people. A lot of students ask their mentor or a co-worker to listen to their presentations.
The prerequisite for the capstone project course is the completion of 80 credits and the prerequisite for the internship is the completion of 70 credits.
Interdisciplinary Studies recommends that you do your internship at the end of your junior year, which is after about 90 credits. Although you can wait until your senior year to do your internship, we recommend that you not wait till the end and even try to do more than one internship if you can. You should remember that by the time you graduate you should be looking for a job, not an internship.
It is recommended you complete your capstone project during your last semester. However, you are not limited to taking your capstone project course your last semester. If you have an opportunity that is sooner, we want you to take advantage of that opportunity.
You are allowed to go over 50 hours working on your capstone project as long as you have the time. Putting more into it gives you a better product at the end that you can show in your portfolios to show future employers. Doing a really high-quality project has some big benefits.
Adding to a project that you previously started but didn’t finish is okay, as long as you fulfil the 50-hour requirement of work during the semester you take the capstone course.