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Capstone Project

The Capstone course (ICS 496) is an undergraduate course that provides final-year undergraduate students with the opportunity to work in teams and apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired during their educational journey in the ICS department to plan, execute, deliver, and present a software development project. This course is designed to give students real-world experience of what it is like to work on a software development project and to prepare them for the demands and expectations of the industry.

The Capstone course is optional for ICS students who entered the major before Fall 2020. Students who entered the BS CS (General) major in or after Fall 2020 must complete a capstone project in their senior year. Students in the Security Science or Data Science track are not required to take the capstone course. Students may also receive credit for a capstone project if they are engaged in a software development effort as part of an internship (based on instructor approval).

Students will work on team-based projects sponsored by various entities, including the faculty of the ICS department, faculty from other departments within the university, state/federal agencies/departments (e.g., US Army), non-profit organizations, or industry partners. Students will work closely with their project sponsors throughout the project lifecycle, which will involve regular communication, collaboration, and demonstrations to ensure that the project meets the sponsor’s expectations and requirements. The project sponsor will provide guidance and feedback to the students and be available to answer questions and address any issues that may arise during the project. This approach provides students with experience in stakeholder collaboration and communication, which is essential to the success of real-world software development projects and for the students’ professional development. The project sponsor will also be responsible for providing the course instructor with evaluations for each student at the end of the semester.

Throughout the semester, there are predefined checkpoints for students to prepare and deliver presentations that outline their progress and identify any issues or risks they have encountered. Students will also present software development best practices and project management techniques they utilize in their projects. The course instructors will evaluate the presentations and provide feedback and guidance to the teams on overcoming obstacles and moving forward with their projects. Upon course completion, each team will create and present a poster about their project at the semester’s ICS Project Day. Attendees at the event include faculty and staff of the department and university, project sponsors, local industry leaders, and other special invitees.

Course Registration

Students will need to register for ICS 496. If you need help registering, please contact your academic advisor. For more information about the course, please email Prof. Anthony Peruma with questions.

Potential Sponsors

Are you interested in sponsoring a project? The ICS Department welcomes project proposals for the Capstone course. The proposed project must involve students working in a team to build a software application (website, mobile app, desktop app). As a project sponsor, you would be required to meet weekly with your project team. Please email Prof. Anthony Peruma with details about your project or questions about the Capstone course.