Capstone Project Topics
A capstone project consists of two main parts: independent research or an experiment on a topic of the student’s choice and an academic paper that demonstrates a deep understanding of a chosen topic (read more details in our guide on how to write a capstone project). It doesn’t matter whether you study engineering, business, IT, or nursing. The capstone project is a great opportunity for you to pursue a question or a problem that you’re interested in and even to find your future career path. We can’t provide you with concrete instructions for your capstone project as we don’t know what particular issue and what context you are going to study. However, we offer you a few guidelines on various capstone project ideas. If your topic will be related to our list, we are sure that you will find some useful hints on the writing process below.
Management and Business Capstone Project Ideas
- Strategic management
If you work or intern for business companies, you have a great opportunity to create a capstone project dedicated to business strategies. This option is also available if all the necessary data can be found on the internet. You should provide an exhaustive analysis of multiple factors that influence the company’s strategic management. Such a topic will allow you to demonstrate your skills of data analysis, economic forecasting, and comprehensive evaluation. We offer you to include the following subsections:
- Current business strategies of the firm
- Activities within global markets
- SWOT analysis
- Strategies to decrease business ethics violations
You are also welcome to offer a new approach to the strategic management suitable for this particular company which might improve work efficiency. Use academic sources to provide a scientific basis for your argumentation. Avoid unreliable sources of information such as personal blogs, glossy magazines, and commercial websites (except for official websites of companies).
- Problem solution
It’s hard to believe that the company you work for or volunteer for has no problems even if it is a non-profit organization or student club. First of all, you should define the difficulties that stand in the way of success for your company. Then, you should select the sphere that you are interested in: competitors, business ethics violations, inefficient marketing strategy, irrational budgeting, uncomfortable workplace, inappropriate hiring procedures, etc. If there is no evident problem you can think of, change your approach: don’t look for the weaknesses of your company, but for a new approach to its improvement. Although your capstone project should be based on a real-life example, it doesn’t mean that you can neglect a scientific basis for your writing. If you provide any arguments, make sure that they are enforced with a reference to reliable sources, such as specialized literature. Don’t limit yourself to the opportunities that are available for you at the moment. Even if you haven’t climbed a job ladder yet, you can still think about the company from the perspective of a CEO.
- Human resources
Marketing strategies and business improvements are utterly important, but nothing can replace a team of real professionals! Human resources are crucial for doing business. This sphere has many aspects: hiring procedures, HR ethics, development, evaluation, and compensation. You can choose one aspect or provide a complex analysis. You may also include the details of team-building strategies, the company’s internal traditions, the main points of code, etc. If you work or intern for a certain company, you can use the information about it in your capstone project. And yes, you have to ask for permission to use a company’s name or change it in your writing. In case your company doesn’t have a well-developed HR department, you may include recommendations about the structure of the HR department that you consider suitable for this company in your text.
- Rebranding
When companies begin new marketing campaigns, there are only few options, and rebranding can be beneficial or unprofitable. That’s why a new campaign is always a risky move, and is worth analysis. You may examine the rebranding process in one company or compare two different strategies. If you want your capstone project to be as impressive and useful as possible, choose a wide range of various companies with different numbers of employees and income levels. Your main purpose is to find out if the rebranding process is profitable. To do that, you have to analyze the activities of the company before and after applying a new marketing strategy and compare them. Data collection may take much time, so you should not postpone the beginning of the writing process. Remember that you should take into account the number of funds spent for the rebranding itself.
- Strategic analysis of the company
This type of capstone project topic doesn’t require any creative or forecasting skills. However, you should not choose it if your research and analytical skills are poor. You have to learn literally everything about the company if you want to provide a capstone project on such a topic. A strategic analysis includes multiple factors: the company’s economic niche, marketing strategies, international activities, main competitors, management philosophy, key strengths and weaknesses, hiring procedures, internal and external issues, etc. If you are ready to go far, you may offer your own set of recommendations that may solve the company’s issues and increase its incomes. We highly recommend you not to select a big company like Apple or Google, as it may take years to analyze all their activities. If you work or intern for a certain company, you should use this advantage to compose your capstone project. It is much easier to gain access to the necessary information when you are one of the employees and not an independent researcher.
Capstone Project Ideas on Criminal and Social Issues
- Police brutality
This theme has become one of the most debatable capstone project topics since our society decided that human rights are primordial in comparison to the power of authority. Policemen are considered to be real heroes: they catch bad guys and save defenseless citizens. Unfortunately, our world is not so black-and-white. When people are obsessed with power, they don’t work for the common good even if they are policemen. Such people think that their badges allow them to do whatever they want. In media, you may find hundreds of articles dedicated to the issue of police brutality. If you choose this topic for your capstone project, you will have a huge field for research. We recommend you to gather as much information as possible: look through newspapers and websites of news agencies, interview the victims, analyze statistics, etc. When you have enough data, provide a thorough and deep analysis in order to discover the common tendencies and behavior patterns. Don’t forget to study the legal base. After completing these stages, it will be the right moment to develop the most interesting part of your capstone project. You have to offer your own solution to this problem based on your experience, specialized literature, and data analysis. We understand that this issue can be painful, so be careful with your claims.
- Social media and terrorist organizations
This issue is a good capstone project idea for high school as students are the most frequent users of social media. Unfortunately, social media is not the only means of communication and sharing bright moments of our lives with the general public. Terrorist groups often use social media in order to spread their ideas and find new adherents. Governments and private agencies try to prevent the terrorist organizations from the use of social media. Unfortunately, their attempts are not always successful. The first thing you should do when you start your capstone project on this topic is study the laws that regulate social media work. Then, gather data about the most well-known cases related to terrorist groups and their activity on the internet. When you have all the necessary information, propose your resolution to this issue. Of course, your plan should be supported with proper research.
- Prison privatization
If you want to pick an extremely controversial capstone topic, then private prisons are the best option. We want to warn you in advance: there is no obvious decision. Specialists and opinion leaders all around the world discuss this issue on a regular basis, and they can’t reach a compromise. This is why you should clearly define your thesis statement and decide whether you are for or against private prisons. If you choose one side, it doesn’t mean that you have to ignore the arguments of the opponents. First of all, present your own point of view, but don’t provide any arguments yet. Then, compose a detailed and exhaustive literature review in order to inform your readers about the previous studies related to this topic. Although you stand for a particular position, try to remain objective and reasonable when you present the arguments of both sides. If you are for private prisons, you’ll have to offer a plan for improvements in order to satisfy the requirements of the opposite side. If you are against privatization, propose the alternative solution.
Healthcare Capstone Project Ideas
If you work in a clinical environment, healthcare capstone project topics are a perfect option for you. The healthcare system – as any other system – has many issues and problems that should be solved. The main goal of your capstone project will be to identify one or two problems that you have faced in a clinical environment, to analyze them, and offer a well-reasoned solution for each issue. You may examine not only weaknesses, but also the ways to improve the existing structures, such as quality improvements, leadership initiatives, and educational programs. Firstly, compose a clear and exhaustive problem statement. Then, find out what has caused this particular problem and prove its significance. Finally, propose your solution. Remember that your recommendations shouldn’t be based exclusively on your personal intuition or experience. Use specialized literature and consult with experts if necessary.
A capstone project is a really big deal, so you have to use all of your energy and skills in order to create an impressive, helpful, and interesting work. We are glad to provide you with these capstone project topics, instructions and high school capstone project examples. It is always hard to make the first step without a guideline. Do your best to prove your academic competence!