The goal of the Capstone experience is to facilitate individual growth and career development through a series of guest lecture presentations on job and professional development opportunities, reflection essays, and the completion of a professional public health e-portfolio.
What is Capstone?
The Capstone course is the culmination of the core curriculum for the Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) and involves the synthesis and application of curriculum content and competencies. The course emphasizes active participation and honing of learned skills through group activities.
The Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH), our accrediting body, requires that all students complete a capstone experience. The capstone requirement for the undergraduate Public Health major is designed to review, integrate, and apply concepts and methods presented in the core courses. The Capstone Requirement must be taken for a letter grade and fulfilled in your senior year.
Who can do Capstone and when?
Senior BSPH students who completed all 3000-level PH core courses, PUBH 4011, and at least two additional 4000- level PH Core courses.
The Capstone is a requirement for all public health majors enrolled in the BSPH degree program. Students may opt to enroll in the course in either the fall or spring semester of their senior year only with approval from their academic advisor.
What happens during Capstone?
BSPH students must complete 15 assignments and five discussion questions.
Monitoring of the student’s progress will be accomplished by attendance of class meetings and completion of assignments. If problems or concerns cannot be resolved, students should refer to the OELCS Coordinator.
The students must prepare and submit the following assignments to PUBH 4985 instructor:
- Assignment #1: "What I Want to Accomplish as a Public Health Professional"
Students will draft a one-page paper on one change in public health that they would like to accomplish during their public health career and why. - Assignment #2: Public Health Competencies Self-Assessment and Competency Attainment Plan
- Assignment#3: Shelby County Innovation Challenge
Students will evaluate their competence and interest levels across eight public health domains. - Assignments #4-7: Reflection Papers
Students will identify a public health priority issue that you worked on in your Fieldwork course. Students will complete four reflection papers:- Reflection Paper 1: Based on the results of a competency self-assessment, students will write a 1 to 1½- page plan for how they will increase their competency for at least two of the assessed areas.
- Reflection Paper 2: Students will select at least one area in which they have achieved mastery or feel comfortable with their ability to apply the skill and write a 1 to 1½-page reflection on how these skills will help them achieve the change they want to make in their career as a public health professional.
- Reflection Paper 3: Students will write a 1 to 1½-page reflection on what shared leadership means to
- Reflection Paper 4: Students will write a 1 to 1½-page reflection on the aspects of the BSPH curriculum that they believe helped them achieve their current level of public health competence and what aspects of the curriculum can be improved.
- Assignment #8: Critique and Ranking of a Public Health Intervention
Students will practice critiquing public health intervention proposals. Grant proposals and/or interventions described in the public health literature will be reviewed and assessed for clarity, feasibility, and potential to bring about the desired change. - Assignment #9: Professional Resume
Students will develop a full, professional resume and have a chance to receive feedback from peers, instructors, and outside guests representing the public health workforce. - Assignment #10: Mock Interview
Students will identify a public health position (in Indeed or other job posting site) for which you are qualified and participate in a mock panel interview. - Assignment #11: Systems thinking modeling exercise
Working in teams, students will select one of five systems thinking exercises (Collect and Cluster, Stakeholder Mapping, Map Your World View, System Dynamics, or The Global Marketplace). - Assignment #12: Presentation of public health innovation intervention
Through weekly feedback from the instructor and classmates, students will develop an innovative public health intervention to solve problems identified in Assignment #3. - Assignment #13: Public Health Competencies Re-Assessment
Students will re-evaluate their competence and interest levels across the eight public health domains. - Assignment #14: BSPH Capstone Portfolio
Students will utilize Canvas artifacts throughout the core curriculum to create and maintain an e-portfolio of work and reflections. - Assignment #15: BSPH Capstone Portfolio Presentation
Each student must provide a brief presentation of their capstone experience and portfolio. The portfolio should highlight public health competencies and be suitable for use at a job interview.
Course Format
The Capstone course is asynchronous; students must attend three in-person class meetings (dates indicated in the syllabus).
Next Steps
Students will submit deliverables and present Capstone project at appointed Research Forum.
Need Assistance?
The OELCS Coordinator will assist students with any issues concerning the Capstone project. Students should schedule a time to meet with the OELCS Coordinator and faculty advisor (if applicable) to discuss concerns and next steps after Capstone.
Benefits of Capstone
- Applied Learning: Through research, data analysis, and implementation, students gain instrumental skills and insights that prepare them for the complexities of public health practice.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Through our collaborative approach, we encourage interdisciplinary relationships among students, faculty, and community partners. Through collaborative partnerships, students learn to leverage the strengths of various disciplines to address public health issues comprehensively.
- Community Engagement: We prioritize community engagement within our projects, ensuring students collaborate directly with communities to identify needs, resources, and resolutions. Through partnerships with community organizations and stakeholders, students develop cultural competence and promote health equity and social justice.
- Professional Development: This experience prepares students for leadership roles in public health. Students improve their communication skills, project management, and problem-solving abilities, gaining the confidence and expertise to lead public health initiatives effectively.