1. Consult with your assigned advisor regarding the type and topic of the project you want to do, and obtain your advisor’s input and approval regarding which two other graduate faculty members may be valuable on your capstone committee. Your current advisor is your committee chair.
  2. Secure the consent of the two other committee members (besides your advisor). Contact them by phone or email to explain your area of interest and your project.

See Choosing a Capstone Committee

  1. Complete the Application for Capstone Project and submit it with the appropriate payment to the director of graduate studies.  
  2. The director of graduate studies will respond via email with approval.

Write the proposal following the guidelines for the type of project below and the standards of the Publication Manual (current edition) of the American Psychological Association (APA) for style and format. MATS students will follow Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). After the proposal is written, your advisor and committee members must give approval to the proposal.

Field Project

Curriculum Development

Internship

Thesis

All capstone students will need to submit a proposal to the IRB except for MATS historical research papers or Master of Science internships. Most capstone projects will involve working with human subjects and especially children, and publication of the results is encouraged. The IRB will need to ensure that provisions for obtaining consent are made and carried out. It is important to plan for parental and student consent when working with children. For good order, all capstone projects will need to submit an application to the IRB.

See Institutional Review Board for further details

Following acceptance from your committee, the proposal must be submitted along with the application for Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to the director of graduate studies. Approval from the director of graduate studies and the IRB must be received before the project is begun.

  1. The student’s advisor works closely with the student to ensure graduate-level standards are met.
  2. The student’s committee reviews the student’s project. This review may begin during the project and is always done upon completion of the project.
  3. Official copies of the completed and approved capstone project will be printed. One will be housed in the campus library, and one will be sent to the student. An electronic copy will be available through the MLC library website.
  4. Printing of capstone projects is handled and paid for by the Office of Graduate Studies.