Capstone Options

Students have the option of completing a real-world Data Analytics Project, completing the Predictive Analytics capstone course, participating in an Analytics Internship, or completing a Master’s Thesis to fulfill their Capstone requirement.

Data Analytics Project

The real data analytics project is for students who are interested in working with a small team on a research project under the supervision of a CDM faculty. A list of available projects is published on the DAMPA center website. A student who is interested in proposing their own data analytics project is encouraged to contact a CDM faculty member teaching analytics courses as soon as possible. Students must enroll in CSC 695 Master’s Research for a total of 4 credit hours taken in two consecutive quarters (2 credit hours for 2 quarters) to satisfy the capstone requirement. The faculty who supervises the project will initiate enrollment in the CSC 695 Master’s Research course.

Predictive Analytics Capstone Course

CSC 672 Predictive Analytics Capstone course offers the opportunity of working on an analytics project in a more structured class format. Students enrolled in the courses will be working in teams on a data analytics project under the supervision of the course instructor.

Analytics Internship

An internship offers students the opportunity to integrate their academic experience with on-the-job training in an analytics-related field. Students must enroll in CSC 697. Graduate Internship for 4 credit hours to satisfy the capstone requirement. These are the steps:

  1. Secure an internship with focus in analytics.
  2. International Students must obtain the appropriate practical training form and meet with an advisor in the CDM Academic Center for approval.
  3. Login to MyCDM and click the “MyInternships” link on the left to start the course enrollment process.

Master’s Thesis

A student who has made an original contribution to the area (typically, through work done by CSC 695 Master’s Research) may choose to complete a Master’s Thesis. The student and the student’s research advisor should form a Master’s Thesis Committee of 3 faculties. The student will need to submit to the committee a thesis detailing the results of the research project. After a public defense, the committee will decide whether to accept the thesis. In that case, the student will be allowed to register for the 0 credit course CSC 698 Master’s Thesis and the transcript will show the thesis title as the course topic.