FAQs: Capstone
Students in international specializations across the degree programs are given the opportunity to travel to conduct intensive field work for an outside organization. International site visits typically take place during the students' winter break during late December to late January (their January intercession) when they are not in class.
What is the program timeline for the 2024-25 application cycle?
You must complete and submit a project proposal for consideration. Proposals must be submitted online through the electronic application.
A Capstone team may conduct a literature review, perform an environmental scan, develop an operational framework to streamline workflow, develop a financial model, or put forth policy recommendations, among other things.
If you have questions regarding the Capstone proposal and client submission process, please contact wagner.capstone@nyu.edu.
Prospective Capstone clients respond to a request for proposals (RFP) in the spring by submitting their applications through our online portal. All proposals are vetted by Wagner administration and viable projects are offered to Capstone faculty for comment and selection.
Capstone is learning in action. Part of the core curriculum of the Master's program at NYU Wagner, it provides students with both a critical learning experience and an opportunity to perform a public service.
Submitted proposals are first vetted for feasibility and fit within Capstone's guidelines and NYU Wagner's learning objectives and curricular areas of focus. Then, approved proposals are distributed to the Capstone faculty for review, who may contact prospective clients for clarification on the scope of projects.
An engagement fee of $5,000 is suggested for chosen projects. NYU Wagner recognizes there will be organizations for which this fee may be prohibitive. In these cases, the fee may be adjusted to reflect the resources available to each agency. Your application will be reviewed on its merits, not your organization's ability to pay.
Each student team will develop and negotiate a scope-of-work agreement with the client once its proposal has been selected. The project team will use its best efforts to perform the services described in the work plan and will inform the client of any potential problems which would change the scope of services.
The best Capstone proposals are important but not urgent; achievable within the academic time frame and with the resources available; provide a clear definition of the problem or issue to be addressed; have a realistic scope; and specify tangible deliverables for the Capstone team to provide.
We receive more proposals than we have student teams. As a result, there is no guarantee that a proposal will be chosen by a student team. However, if your project is not chosen, you will be given the opportunity to convert the project into an internship opportunity for Wagner students.