In the final year, DMA students complete and defend the capstone project before their capstone committee, composed of the primary capstone mentor and two additional members from the DMA Governance Committee.
The final oral examination is organized as follows:
10-minute student presentation of capstone research
Question and answer with the members of the capstone committee
Evaluation without the student present
Student returns for feedback and outcome
One vote is to be taken with three and only three possible outcomes (all members of the capstone committee vote). These outcomes (PASS, FAIL, or DEFERRED PASS with conditions) result according to the rules posted on the Steinhardt Dissertation Policies Website. A DEFERRED PASS implies that although the student’s performance is acceptable in many respects, substantive revision of the capstone project and/or additional requirements of consequence are deemed necessary. If the student FAILS, they may request permission for a second final oral examination from the Vice Dean. If approved, the examination must be held with the same capstone committee no sooner than six months from the first final oral examination. If the student fails the second final oral examination, matriculation is automatically and irrevocably terminated.
Examples of possible DMA capstone projects can be found on our Research Areas page.