MPP Capstone Workshop Option

Capstone Workshop components

Capstone workshops are substantive projects for external clients that are completed by small teams of students. These workshops are supervised by Humphrey instructors who are members of the Graduate Faculty. Capstone workshop courses are sections of PA 8081 and are worth 3 credits. Some capstone workshops require registration in PA 5080 - Capstone Preparation Workshop for 1 credit that is taken concurrently with PA 8081.  Capstone workshops that require registration in the preparation workshop will be indicated on the class schedule.  The topics of the capstone workshops will change each semester.  Enrollment in a capstone workshop with a topic related to the students’ concentration is not required. 

Students electing the workshop option must complete three separate components:

1. a team-written report for the client
2. a reflection paper on the workshop experience, and
3. an oral presentation to the client that summarizes the major findings from the report.

Student teams produce the written report and oral presentation to the client, while each individual student writes the reflection paper.

Team-written report

The student team-written report to the client will conform in general to the definition of a Professional Paper. However, there is likely to be variation across workshop reports because the needs and desires of individual clients will differ. For example, some clients may wish to have students explicitly use theoretical concepts and frameworks in their final report, while other clients may desire more direct practical application. Please note that clients must be informed at the beginning of the project that these reports are usually bound and made publicly available. Their permission for such disclosure should be sought.

Reflection paper

The individual papers required of students participating in the workshop experience are ten to fifteen pages in length. Their purpose is both to allow the workshop instructor to evaluate individual student performance and to provide an opportunity for students to reflect intellectually and personally on the workshop experience. In particular, the individual short papers address:

1. the student's assessment of the relationship between the workshop experience and the theory and concepts presented in class; and,
2. the student's reflection on what he or she learned about working in a team context and as a professional with a client on a real world policy or management problem.

Oral presentation and final steps

The oral presentation takes the form of a final presentation to the client and the capstone workshop instructor. The client works with the instructor and the students throughout the semester on the project and, therefore, has the authority to participate in the oral presentation. A successful oral indicates that both the client and the instructor agree that the student team has met the expectations agreed to by the client, instructor, and student teams.

Once the student team has completed the oral presentation, the instructor and client will sign the title page of the team-written client report to document successful completion of the capstone workshop, professional paper, and oral presentation. 

Documenting Completion of the Professional Paper

The team-written client report from the capstone workshop will serve as the professional paper for each group member.  The deadline for completion of the professional paper and oral presentation is the 20th day of the month in which the student intends to graduate.

• May 20th for finishing in May
• July 20th for finishing in July
• December 20th for finishing in December

As soon as the final version of the professional paper has been completed and approved and the oral presentation has been successfully completed, complete the following steps to document completion of the professional paper.

1. Digital Conservancy Agreement form (all paper authors; one form per group)

• Submit to 280 HHH (hard copy)
• The Digital Conservancy Agreement Form must be signed by ALL paper authors, even if they are not MPP students.
• Each group should submit one Digital Conservancy Agreement form
• Submit with Signed Title Page

2. Signed Title Page (one per group)

• Submit to 280 HHH (hard copy)
• The hard copy Title Page must follow the required Title Page format. The title page must include the names of ALL paper authors, even if they are not MURP/MPP students.
• The capstone instructor and client must sign the title page to verify two things: successful completion of the oral presentation and approval of the final version of the paper. 
• The Title Page must include ORIGINAL signatures of capstone instructor and the client – no scanned, copied, or faxed signatures, no exceptions!!
• Submit only one Title Page per group
• Submit with the Digital Conservancy Agreement Form

3. Electronic copy of final paper (one e-mail submission; one per group)

• Email to hhhss@umn.edu
• The final paper should be emailed as an attachment (word doc or pdf).
• The document should include an unsigned title page.
• Choose one group member to email the digital version of the paper.

Pay close attention to your GRADUATION CHECKLIST for other important information.