Experiences with capstone projects in a master of engineering management program: A case study

Capstone projects in a Master of Engineering Management program are unique and there are limited publications on this subject. This paper reviews the literature on capstone projects in general, to draw lessons that can be learned to formulate the basis for designing the course. It then describes how the course objectives, teaching and learning activities and assessments are devised. A typical delivery of the course is then described where the three elements have been detailed. The main learning activities were reviews of lessons from other courses in the MEM, chosen case studies and their analyses and presentations and engagement in a team project. Out of these the first two were assessed on a formative basis. The team project and submitted case analysis were assessed on a summative basis. A table showing sample projects is presented. Feedback obtained from a sample of the two past student cohorts indicates the effectiveness of the method.