What is a Capstone Project?

Students working with farmer in a green house.

The Capstone Project is a required collaborative project completed in partnership with a public, private, or non-profit institution. Teams of 3-4 MENV students conduct each project. The Capstone Project consists of the Capstone Innovation Lab course sequence, including five credit hours of applied work during the Summer Session. Capstone Projects provide MENV graduate students with real-world, hands-on, application-based experiences embedded within the context of an organization's needs and capacities. 

The MENV course sequence (Capstone Innovation Lab 1, 2, 3) hones students' professional skills, such as project management, community partner engagement, analysis, collaboration, and communication, that will be essential to success in their projects as well as in their professional careers. Students also engage in relationship building to expand their professional circles and participate in the local and national ecosystem of sustainability professionals. 

Capstone students are not traditional interns. Instead, they are highly motivated graduate student-consultants equipped with prior professional experience and knowledge in sustainability, provide innovative solutions and valuable deliverables to Capstone Partner organizations. 

Interested in working with our students? 

Student Expectations

The MENV Graduate Program fosters future leaders and innovators. Student teams drive the scoping, planning, and execution of their project. They also provide professional communication materials including a poster, symposium presentation, and a project brief. MENV students are advised by MENV faculty advisors throughout their work. Faculty and partner input is critical to their success.  

MENV graduate students: 

  • Work closely with teammates and Capstone advisors to set clear project goals and benchmarks 

  • Drive the progress of the project with solution-oriented approaches 

  • Demonstrate professionalism in all interactions with partner organizations and other community partners 

  • Communicate regularly and professionally with the Capstone Partner and submit materials for feedback 

  • Produce high-quality, sophisticated, professional products and services 

  • Present the project professionally at a Poster Session, Symposium, online through a Project Brief and social media, and at other venues in collaboration with Partner Organization 

Capstone Partners 

Capstone partners span a broad spectrum of local, regional, and national organizations involved in sustainability and environment. CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ's MENV Graduate Program partners with organizations from the NGO community and the private sector, as well as local, state, and federal governments. Current partners include Bonterra Organic Estates, ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ County Housing Authority, Peregrine Energy Solutions, Thule, Trust for Public Lands, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and more.  

A Capstone Partner is an organization that collaborates with the University of Colorado Masters of the Environment program through a Capstone Project with students.  

Capstone Partner Expectations 

As we continue to build our network of community connections from the public, private, and nonprofit sector, we look forward to welcoming new and returning partners. Successful partners must:  

  • Stay fully engaged and committed to working with a student team for the duration of their 12-month project 

  • Mentor and advise graduate students 

  • Support the educational goals of the project and the MENV program, including offering students professional development opportunities and helping them build professional networks 

  • Provide a single point of contact for the team and timely responses to team members 

  • Give constructive feedback 

  • Provide funding for the costs of the project (often, there are none) 

  • Offer compensation (this is not required)    

Partnering with CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ brings several benefits to external organizations: 

  • Solutions to the complex problems faced by many organizations 

  • Additional capacity from MENV program's top-level graduate students 

  • Opportunities to identify potential future employees 

  • A relationship with CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ that could result in other partnerships 

  • Participation in training the next generation of environment, energy, policy, and planning professionals