Honors Capstone Experience

The Capstone curriculum provides upper-division students the opportunity to develop an in-depth research, applied or creative project either within or outside of their major.

The Honors Capstone

All students in University Honors Program will complete an Honors Capstone.

Students who discover Honors later in their program or who are in a program with little space for the full University Honors may instead complete the Honors Capstone Experience as a stand alone 4 credit hour program.

Capstone Project Pathways

Research: Research project or senior thesis based on field research, survey research, qualitative research, experimentation, or library or archival research or any other discipline-based research methodology
Applied: applied or civically-engaged business, non-profit, or curriculum design and delivery project
Creative: creative work in humanities or the arts, including visual arts, performing arts, music, creative writing, photography or other creative works.

All projects require a written component with critical, research-based, reflective analysis, and all students present their project in a public forum to educate others on their topic. Completed projects are bound and placed in the permanent collection of the James A. Michener Library, and Honors students also are encouraged to submit their final written project for inclusion in a scholarly journal, such as UNC’s undergraduate research journal. During their Honors Capstone experience students work individually with a faculty mentor to strengthen their research, writing, creative, and presentation skills.

General Curriculum Requirements

Completion of Honors Capstone course requirements (4 credits).

Completion of Honors Capstone project approved by the Honors Program and presented in a public forum. Participation in at least two Honors Connect activities.

Achieve and maintain a minimum cumulative 3.00 UNC GPA

Honors Capstone Project Design — 2 credits

HON351 1 credit and LIB251 1 credit should be taken concurrently as 2 credits in the same semester OR

McNair Scholars should enroll in 2 credits of HON432.

Honors Capstone Project — 2 credits

HON451

HON 451 is repeatable with a maximum of 3 credit hours. Students may complete their Capstone Project through HON 451 or any equivalent departmental capstone course if the major includes a capstone. The student may use the major based capstone course, if the project is approved by both the Schulze Chair for Honors and Interdisciplinary Studies and the major program.

Capstone Resources

Honors Capstone Manuscripts

Honors scholars have the opportunity to be publish their honors capstones through the UNCO Open.

Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors

OURCE is an invaluable resource for students completing their capstones. From grant funding to consultations to support with Institutional Review Board submissions, OURCE works hand in hand with Honors students.

McNair Scholars Research Program

McNair Scholars Program creates a pathway through honors for students who are eligible and selected for this highly competitive and highly supportive program.

Research Consulting Lab

The Research Consulting Lab offers free consultation on research and survey design, data collection and management, data analysis, and reporting of results. Research consultants have extensive training in applied statistics and research methods, and can offer advice for both quantitative and qualitative research. The Research Consulting Lab also strives to provide appropriate introductory training with common data analysis software.