The DCC Capstone Project is the culmination of 2 years of work in the living-learning program. From their very first day in the program, students begin learning fundamental principles of design, culture, and creativity. At the start of their second year, students begin to envision a sophisticated Capstone Project that not only engages this curriculum, but also resonates with their own personal, academic, and/or professional interests. They work with program staff and faculty to craft a compelling proposal—similar to any proposal that they would write for a professional research grant or other funding opportunity—for their Capstone. Finally, students spend the Spring semester of their second year implementing, testing, and revising their ideas. In building their own unique Capstone project, students learn to think outside disciplinary boundaries, take creative risks, and approach problems from multiple perspectives.
The DCC Capstone Project experience offers students opportunities to:
- Gain invaluable research experience
- Explore creative outlets beyond their academic major
- Integrate topics, theories, and methods from multiple different fields of study to address complex issues and/or pursue interdisciplinary projects
- Compete for DCC grant funding to support the development and completion of their project
- Complete a sophisticated, portfolio-ready project within the first two years of undergraduate education
- Work closely with university faculty, researchers, and organizations, establishing close relationships that can facilitate networking and open pathways toward future opportunities
- Team up with their peers for collaborative projects
- Showcase their work at the annual DCC Capstone Fair, attended by program staff, university faculty and administrators, DCC alumni, family, and friends
- Win DCC's annual Capstone Award, a $500 prize that recognizes stand-out projects from each class
- Jumpstart research, service, or entrepreneurial projects that can extend beyond their coursework in the DCC program