Identify talent in action and get creative solutions to your organization’s challenges by sponsoring graduate or undergraduate capstone projects.
The College of Information Science capstone provides students with real-world experience before they transition to professional careers. The program leads to significant development in their project management and communication skills while providing concrete application of their technical knowledge. Students apply what they have learned throughout their time at the University of Arizona to tackle real problems and challenges. Explore recent capstone projects.
In addition to benefiting students, partner projects benefit your organization through the projects themselves, which may include analysis of complex data questions; design, building and testing of prototypes; generation of new ideas to improve existing products or processes; and more. Working with a student capstone team also serves as an opportunity for your organization to recruit top talent.
Ready to join us as a project partner?
After reviewing the guidelines below for sponsoring a capstone project, view our sample proposal here and then contact Susan Kaleita to discuss your commitment.
Sample Industry-Sponsored Capstone Project Timelines, Fall or Spring Semester
Discuss potential projects:
- Year-round
Project commitment deadline:
- Fall – Early August
- Spring – Mid December
Project submission deadline:
- Fall – Mid August
- Spring – Early January
Matching students to projects:
- Fall: Mid August through early September
- Spring: Mid January through early February
Students work on projects with industry mentors:
- Fall: Mid September through early December
- Spring: Mid February through early May
iShowcase project presentations:
- Fall: Early December
- Spring: Early May
Partner Guidelines for Sponsoring a Capstone Project
Overview
The capstone course combines students across three College of Information Science programs—BS in Information Science, BS in Game Design and Development and BA in Information Science and Arts—and is a culminating experience for our students before they graduate. Graduate students in the MS in Data Science and MS in Information Science also complete capstone projects.
InfoSci Student Skills
In addition to foundational skills in collaboration, creativity and communication, students bring a variety of technical skills to the project, which may include:
Programming Languages
- Python
- C#
- C++
- Javascript
- R
- SQL
Artificial Intelligence
- Machine learning
- Natural language processing
- Neural networks
Data Science & Analytics
- Data analysis
- Data analytics
- Data cleaning
- Data Viz
- Database management
Cloud & DevOps
- AWS
Game Development & Web Technologies
- Web development
- HTML/CSS
- Unity
Design & User Experience
- UX/UI design
- User-centered design
3D & Geospatial Technologies
- 3D Modeling
- GIS
The Student Team
We look to you for suggestions as to the best team composition from among these skill sets, but we request flexibility because the composition may need to change based on availability of the desired students.
Assume that you will have a team of 3-5 students working on the project for an average of 8 hours per week per student over the 15-week academic semester (approximately 500 total hours of labor). Challenging students can be highly beneficial, as long as the project remains achievable within the constraints of their available resources.
Communications Expectations
In general, the more contact there is between a partner and the student team, the better the project outcome will be. We therefore request that sponsors name a key contact and an alternate so that students may be able to get in touch with the project partner when questions arise.
Project Requirements
We ask that sponsors provide a brief description of the project goals and required deliverables. It is helpful to supplement the summary with detailed requirements that will become the focus of the project planning and design. The development of statement of work is the first major team activity at the start of the semester.
Once the design is approved by the project partner and instructor, the team begins working on the deliverables for final presentation at the University of Arizona iShowcase held on the final day of each semester.
Finally, remember that this is a student project, and although the vast majority of our projects are successful, we are unable to guarantee project success. Please do not give students a project that is on a critical path for your company.
Sponsorship Cost
At this time, the College of Information is not charging project partners. However, partners are expected to provide the resources necessary for project completion, which could include hosting, software or subscriptions necessary to implement the design solution.
Next Steps & Additional Information
To discuss industry-sponsored capstone projects, please contact Susan Kaleita, director of strategic partnerships and external relations, at kaleita@arizona.edu or 520-621-0570.