The Basics Of The Capstone COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

The Basics Of The Capstone COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog The spring semester is now underway, and second year SIPA students are being swept up by more than just the Polar Vortex engulfing the Northeast. From finalizing their class schedules to kick-starting their job search to planning their graduation celebrations, second years are busy. But for these students, perhaps the most exciting part of the end of SIPA is the completing the Capstone workshop. The Capstone is largely seen as the crowning achievement of a long academic journey at SIPA. It is the final requirement for graduation, and is meant to offer real world experience to complement the theories studied in the classroom. Students are placed in teams, and under the guidance of an adviser, help a company or organization solve a pressing problem affecting them. Examples of capstones include work with Barclays Capital, the Brookings Institution, and USAID. Some of the most popular capstones involve overseas work. As one of the top policy schools in the country, SIPA takes full advantage of its New York City location and attracts world-class organizations and companies for the capstone projects.  This year, SIPA has designed over 50 Capstone Workshops that address a host of policy issues and are of interest to students in all concentrations. So who benefits from the capstone? The answer is everyone! SIPA students are exposed to high-quality work and are able to test their knowledge acquired during their two years in graduate school. They are are able to expand their networks, build their resumes, and get a sense of the kind of work we would like to do upon graduation. Clients have the opportunity to outsource some of its complex projects to a group of enthusiastic, well-trained graduate students.