Capstone Course (DSAE & SER)

The DSE MS capstone course, FSE 570 Data Science Capstone (3 credits), will bring together a highly diverse and interdisciplinary group of students to engage in client-driven group projects involving technical and nontechnical aspects of data science. It is anticipated that although one instructor will coordinate the class, a number of faculty will deliver guest lectures to provide a variety of perspectives on data science. Students will be placed into interdisciplinary groups to address projects and generate a project written report and oral presentation.

Students may take FSE 570 in the final year of study although it is recommended to complete in the final semester. Students are required to earn a grade of B or better in order to pass the class and complete the degree. 

After successful completion of the capstone course, students must complete the required SCAI Graduate Alumni Survey form. This is required for graduation processing.

The SER MS capstone course, SER 517 Software Factory Capstone (3 credits), is taken in the final semester where students complete a “synthesis” activity to demonstrate the degree program outcomes plus advanced technical competence and critical inquiry skills in the context of a complex team project. The synthesis aspect means students should demonstrate, integrate, and apply the concepts learned during their graduate study. Concepts include opportunity assessment, risk management, technology evaluation, licensing models, resource planning, delivery models such as hosted, turnkey, Software as a Service (SaaS), technology acquisition, outsourcing, governance, quality assurance, software certification, and continuous process improvement.

Capstone projects may be culled from any number of sources at the discretion of the faculty, including research projects, industry-sponsored projects, entrepreneurial projects, open-source projects, and so on. Capstones are team projects at the discretion of the faculty. The assigned instructor(s) for SER517 will define the specific deliverables from a software engineering process perspective; however, the criteria will always be defined in terms of synthesis of the degree program outcomes, advanced technical competence, and critical inquiry. Deliverables in the courses may include source code, deployable software, report(s), and presentation(s). SER517 capstone projects are typically required to be presented at a poster session after the course. 

After successful completion of the capstone course, students must complete the required SCAI Graduate Alumni Survey form. This is required for graduation processing.