Skip to main content

Information for Students

As part of the master’s program curriculum, all students in the program will complete a three-quarter capstone (CSS 296) project that provides students the opportunity to get real world experience, during which they can demonstrate their learning, and create a meaningful 'portfolio' piece which can help them as they move forward with their careers. 

Students will be assigned a capstone project based on their expressed preferences and work in groups of up to four. At the end of the capstone project, students will showcase their work through a digital portfolio, as well as through a presentation to the CSS community in June.

The capstone may take two forms:

  1. Off-Campus Project - Students will be embedded with a company or organization in a mutually beneficial, internship-like arrangement that allows the student to learn from the environment as well as provide a meaningful contribution to the organization. Students teams will be assigned both, an industry partner 'Capstone Host', and an on-campus Faculty Advisor.
  2. Faculty-led Project - Students will work with a UCSD faculty member on a project of mutual interest, which involves Computational Social Science questions and techniques. The faculty member sponsoring the project will serve as both their Capstone Host and Faculty Advisor.

Student Responsibilities: 

Student responsibilities are detailed in the UCSD CSS Capstone Guide (https://wstyler.ucsd.edu/docs/css_capstone_guide.pdf), but in brief:

  • Students are expected to apply the knowledge from their graduate coursework to the capstone project and support the needs of the project host
  • Student teams must meet weekly with the Capstone Host, and regularly with their Faculty Advisor (for off-campus projects)
  • Students must be in regular communication with their Capstone Hosts and Faculty Mentors throughout the year
  • Students will work on the capstone project throughout a 30 week period (3 quarters) and will be required to work 13-14 hours a week for a total of 400 hours. 
  • Students will complete two 'checkpoint' assignments, submitting a 'Questions and Methods' paper at the end of Fall Quarter, and a full outline of the project at the end of Winter Quarter
  • Student teams will submit their final project in Week 7 of Spring, and then present their final project in June to the CSS community.

Student Placement Process

Based on students’ interests and placement availability, students will be assigned to work in teams of up to 4 on a group project with a local organization or with a faculty member.  Although students are very welcome to suggest potential capstone organizations (by email to the program director, prior to the start of the CSS bootcamp), the availability of such capstones is contingent upon the suggested organizations' interests.

Student Instructions for Capstone Placement: 

  1. Review the capstone projects available (after August 31st)
  2. Indicate your preferred projects and groups to the CSS staff
  3. Fill out the Student Participation Agreement 

Timeline:

There's a detailed timeline in the UCSD CSS Capstone Guide (https://wstyler.ucsd.edu/docs/css_capstone_guide.pdf), but in brief:

    • Early September: Students indicate capstone interests and are assigned to projects
    • Late September: Students begin meetings with their Capstone Hosts and Faculty Advisors
    • December: Students submit their 'Questions and Methods' document and identify a second Faculty Reader for their project
    • March: Students submit a complete outline of their projects to their Faculty Advisor
    • May: Students submit their final paper to their Faculty Advisor and Capstone Reader, and make any revisions required
    • June: Students present their capstone projects for the CSS Community

    Final Project Requirements:

    Please see the detailed project requirements and rubric in the UCSD CSS Capstone Guide (https://wstyler.ucsd.edu/docs/css_capstone_guide.pdf)