Project Timeline
This year the MENV Graduate Program began offering two start dates for matriculating students, August 2020 (fall admission) and January 2021 (spring admission). Most MENV students complete the 48-credit hour program in either 22 months (e.g., August 2020 - May 2021) or in an accelerated 17 months (e.g., August 2020 - December 2021).
The Capstone Project and associated classes make up nine credit hours of students’ required coursework: Three credit hours for Capstone Innovation Lab (Spring 2021), five credit hours for the Capstone Project (Summer 2021), and one credit hour for Career Leadership Lab (Fall 2021).
Fall 2020: Request for Proposals and First Round Approval
In August 2020, the MENV will begin the process for recruiting 2021 Capstone Partners. Prospective partner organizations interested in working with a team of MENV students will be asked to electronically submit a project proposal outlining goals, objectives, educational benefits, professional development opportunities, timelines, budgets, anticipated deliverables, etc. See Appendix B.
Once proposals are received, a member of the MENV faculty/staff will set up a time to speak with organizational representatives about their projects to ensure that they meet minimum MENV requirements and to help prospective partners refine their proposals if necessary. Organizations will be given the opportunity to revise their proposals after speaking with a member of the MENV team. Organizations can submit no more than two (2) project proposals. The deadline for submitting final project proposals is Friday, October 30, 2020.
By Friday, November 20, 2020, approximately 30 - 35 organizations will be selected to move to the final round of selection. These organizations will be notified and invited to participate in our Capstone Networking Night with MENV students the last week of January.
Students will be presented with the final project proposals at the end of the fall semester before winter break.
Winter/Spring 2021: Partners/Team Selection, Project Planning, and Preliminary Research
Students return from winter break on Monday, January 11. In the Capstone Innovation Lab course, students will have the opportunity to research the prospective Capstone Partners and project areas. The last week of January, students and partners will attend the Capstone Networking Night. Following the networking event, on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, students will submit their Capstone application materials (e.g. resumes, cover letters, and an ordered ranking of project/partner preference) and present an oral pitch, outlining outlining personal Capstone learning objectives, career interests, change-making priorities, and skills/attributes that the student has to offer to the Capstone Selection Committee. This committee made up of MENV faculty and staff will select final Capstone Partners, project, and student teams.
On Monday, February 15, final Capstone Partners and student teams will be notified. We anticipate that there will be between 20 - 25 Capstone Partners in 2021.
Each Capstone team will be assigned an MENV faculty advisor. Faculty advisors serve as the primary points-of-contact between the Capstone Partner organization and the MENV student team. During this period student teams and client organizations should agree on a communications schedule. Students will also develop team contracts (which define team culture and working agreements),conduct background research, and refine the project scope to create a professional Scope of Work (SOW) document to present to the Capstone Partner.. Student teams will present their SOW in early-May.
*Each student is expected to work an average of approximately 8 - 10 hours per week on the Capstone Project outside of the CIL class during the spring semester (January - April)
*Student teams are expected to have team meetings at least once per week.
*Capstone partners are expected to check in with their student teams no less than every other week. These check-ins can be remote or in-person.
*Some dates are subject to change based on the MENV course schedule.
Summer 2021: Intensive Capstone Immersion
While students are not required take classes on campus over the summer session, they are required to take an intensive three-week Maymester course directly following the spring semester. Many students will likely not be able to begin working intensively on the Capstone Project until late-May or early-June. Capstone teams will need to plan accordingly and ensure that they communicate work schedules clearly to their Capstone Partner. Summer Capstone work may involve co-location at the partners’ facilities and other travel, including on and off-site visits, and professional, data-gathering, and analytical obligations as part of the project.
*Students are required to work a minimum 60 hours for every credit hour earned over the summer. To earn five (5) credit hours for the Capstone project over the summer, students are required to work a minimum of 300 total hours and produce high quality work. Most students spread these hours out over 10-12 weeks, for an average of 25-30 hours/week of work. Students will be required to track their hours.
Fall 2021: Synthesis, Analysis, and Projection of Deliverables
In their final semester, students resume classes, synthesize their Capstone work, and continue their final analyses. They also continue the production of the agreed upon deliverables for the Capstone Partner, as well as any additional academic components for MENV faculty. By the end of the semester, student teams will present these deliverables to client organizations, MENV faculty, and any relevant stakeholders. The Capstone Project will culminate in a written product and presentation at the annual Capstone Symposium hosted by the MENV Graduate Program on campus in mid-November.
*Students are expected to work an average of approximately 5 - 10 hours per week on the Capstone Project outside of the CLL class during the fall semester. (Students time investment into the Capstone Project over the fall semester varies depending on the progress made toward final deliverables over the summer. Students may work as few as 5 hours/week during the fall semester, or as much as or in excess of 10 hours/week, in order to provide their Capstone Partners with high quality deliverables. This work is completed in addition to the fall CLL class.)
*Student teams and partners are expected to check in either in-person or remotely no less than every other week.
Important Dates
Fall 2020 Semester
August 3: MENV Request for Proposals (RFP) process opens
August 24: First day of fall semester
October 30: RFP closes; deadline for organizations to submit final Capstone proposals
December 1: Organizations invited to participate final round of selection process
Spring 2021 Semester
January 11: First day of spring semester
January 28: Capstone Networking Night (Date subject to change.)
February 9: Student Pitch Night (Date subject to change.)
February 12: Capstone partners, teams, and advisors selected and notified
March 5: Team Contract
March 19: Project Design Workshop
March 29: Draft Scope of Work (SOW) to Advisor (ungraded)
April 12: Background Research
May 3: Scope of Work (SOW)
May 6: Capstone Project Presentations
Maymester Session 2021
May 10: First day of Maymester
May 27: Maymester ends
Summer Session 2021
Monday, June 1: First day of summer term
Friday, August 6: Last day of summer term
Fall Semester 2021
Monday, August 23: First day of fall semester
December 3: Capstone Symposium / Final presentations
December 9: Final Capstone deliverables due
December 16: Fall graduation
*Dates are subject to change.