Senior Capstone
See the University Studies Program website (www.pdx.edu/university-studies/senior-year-capstone) for course descriptions.
The culmination of the University Studies program is the Capstone course requirement. This 6-credit, community-based learning course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to apply, in a team context, what they have learned in the major and in their other university studies courses to a real challenge emanating from the community. Interdisciplinary teams of students address these challenges and produce a summation product in a University Studies approved Capstone course under the instruction of a PSU faculty member.
The Capstone’s purpose is to further enhance student learning while cultivating critical life abilities that are important both academically and professionally: establishing connections within the larger community, developing strategies for analyzing and addressing problems, and working with others trained in fields different from one’s own.
Independent volunteering, work experience, by arrangement credits, internships and practica cannot fulfill the Capstone requirement. Students must have completed 90 credit hours before registering for their Capstone course. Students should read and follow the Capstone attendance policy.