Capstone Project and Thesis

Students complete their MS in Data Analysis and Visualization degree by working with an advisor to research and write a thesis OR to complete a capstone project. Students will select a faculty advisor, who will supervise their final project.

CAPSTONE OR THESIS?

The capstone project will typically be a digital project related to the student’s area of study, accompanied by a 20-25 page double-spaced white paper. Students may produce a website, a platform, a tool, or another digital project in consultation with their faculty advisor. Click here for a list of recent capstone projects completed by alumni of the program.

The thesis is the culmination of the coursework and studies in the degree program. It is intended to be 50-60 double spaced pages in length and should be connected to the student's area of study.

Students only need to complete either a thesis OR a capstone project.

CAPSTONE/THESIS PROJECT PROCESS

1. Plan out your timeline

The Graduate Center has graduation dates three times a year for degrees awarded in June, October, or February. But there is just one graduation ceremony each year (in early June), and that graduation is for all students who graduated in the year prior. The library has specific deadlines for depositing which follows dates set by the GC academic calendar.

For Degree Date	Enrollment Required	Deposit Required By
February 1	Preceding Fall term	Last business day in January
May/June Commencement	Spring term	April 30
October 1	Preceding Spring term	September 15

2. Find a faculty advisor

Students are responsible for finding a faculty member to advise their capstone/thesis project. Faculty advisors should be members of the faculty of the program in which the student is enrolled; should that not be possible, students can contact the Program Director to see whether another faculty member affiliated with the GC may advise the project.

3. Register for the Thesis Advisement course

After a faculty member has agreed to serve as an advisor, students should contact the Program Coordinator to register for a 3-credit advisement course with their faculty advisor to give them credit for their project. The course number is DATA 79000.

If you are planning to graduate in September, you should register for advising in the spring. There is no summer capstone registration.

4. Write the proposal (and have it approved!)

Write your Capstone/Thesis Proposal and after your faculty advisor approves it, submit it (together with your bibliography) to the Program Director for approval.

If registered for advising in the Fall semester, proposals should be submitted by the end of the add/drop period (around the third week of the semester). If registered for advising in the Spring semester, proposals should be submitted by the first day of classes for Spring. Please consult the GC academic calendar for dates. Students should follow all directions in the Thesis/Capstone Proposal form. The capstone/thesis project should be completed during the semester that you are registered for capstone advisement.

5. Contact the CUNY Human Research Protection Program and the library

If your research involves human subjects, please discuss your project with your advisor and with the CUNY Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) to determine whether your project requires IRB approval from the GC or your advisor’s home campus. If you are unsure if you need approval for your project, please contact Rebecca Banchik.

Contact Steve Zweibel at the Mina Rees Library to discuss possible data sources and considerations to best archive and preserve your capstone project.

6. Work on the project and white paper, or on the thesis

Students working on a capstone project should include a white paper report compliant with the program’s guidelines. As you work on your capstone project/thesis in consultation with your advisor, we recommend you make use of the resources available to students at the GC.

7. Submit your final Capstone/Thesis project to your advisor

The final Capstone/Thesis project (and project white paper for capstones) should be approved by your faculty advisor. We recommend submitting to your advisor at least 3 weeks before you plan to submit to the Program Director for final approval, to allow time for feedback and revisions.

8. Submit the final Capstone/Thesis project to the Program Director for final review

After your advisor approves your final Capstone/Thesis project (and project white paper for capstones), send it to the Program Director for final review, at least two weeks before the library’s deadline to deposit. Please copy the Program Coordinator on your submission email.

Note: We advise students to allow approximately five weeks between their submission to the advisor and the final approval by the Program Director.

9. Deposit the project with the library

After final approval by the Program Director, you will deposit your Capstone/Thesis final project with the library. For instructions on formatting the thesis and on procedures and deadlines for depositing it, see the Mina Rees Library Dissertations and Theses Page. You can also contact Roxanne Shirazi for general questions about deposit procedures, or Steve Zweibel for questions about archiving digital projects. Make sure you review the instructions and begin the process of depositing at least two weeks before the deadline.