Psychology BA majors tend to take PSY 3902W Capstone: Individual Interests or PSY 3903W Capstone: Community Engagement. The capstone in psychology is designed to be the culmination of the experience of your work in the psychology major.
Through your capstone course, you will:
- Combine your knowledge from your psychology courses into your final project
- Network with psychology alumni for advice and professional connections, and hear them speak about their varied professional career paths
- Write a 15–20 page APA-style paper on a psychology topic
Learn more about the course expectations in the Capstone Syllabus or by watching the Capstone video.
Capstone Options
PSY 3902W: Capstone in Psychology - Individual Interests
The individual interest project involves developing a project that relates to your personal or occupational interests in psychology; it includes extra reading or contact with people working in your area of interest. The most common way to satisfy this requirement is to read a book written by a psychologist for a general audience or to interview at least three professionals working in your area of interest. Other ideas may be discussed with the course instructor.
Before class begins: You do not need to take any action before the start of the individual interest capstone.
PSY 3903W: Capstone in Psychology - Community Engagement
Interested in connecting your studies of psychology to important issues in your local community? The Center for Community-Engaged Learning provides you with the opportunity to work onsite at a nearby community organization for approximately four hours each week throughout the semester. Your experience will help you identify the topic of your paper.
Before class begins: You do not need to take any action to find a community placement site until you receive an email from the Center for Community-Engaged Learning staff. You will receive the email either right before the term begins or within the first week of class. It will contain detailed instructions on how to move forward with the community site placement process, which involves being given access to a database filled with service positions. Reach out to the Center before the semester starts if you would like to get started early.