When can you start your Capstone?

[pws]

On the webpage for TESU's Liberal Arts Capstone, it says:

Advisory: Students should have completed or be near to completing all of their area of study requirements before enrolling in this course [LIB-495 Liberal Arts Capstone].

What does 'near to completing' imply? I've read on the forum that you can start your Capstone much earlier, but was the above added not long ago? 

In practice, when can you start your TESU Capstone?

[mysonx3]

There are no requirements for that, as far as I know. It's just their advice. Hard to "cap" knowledge you don't yet have.

[Merlin]

You can start the capstone as soon as you feel you're ready. It's recommended that you have completed the bulk of your core coursework since the capstone builds on assumed prior knowledge. The specific expectations vary by degree.

For example the BSBA capstone assumes you have a working knowledge of finance, accounting, marketing, management, and economics and can apply it in academic analysis and writing.

[pws]

Ah, so the Capstone is time/course-based, with specific deadlines for assignments, etc.? I believe the duration is 3 months, so most would take around 2-3 months to complete it?

I was thinking of starting early to gradually progress (especially for the final paper), rather than having a demanding/time-consuming course not long before the graduation application deadline.

[Merlin]

Ah, so the Capstone is time/course-based, with specific deadlines for assignments, etc.? I believe the duration is 3 months, so most would take around 2-3 months to complete it?

I was thinking of starting early to gradually progress (especially for the final paper), rather than having a demanding/time-consuming course not long before the graduation application deadline.

Yes, it is a 12-week course so it takes 3-months to complete. You can turn in assignments early, but you still have to participate in the mandatory group discussions. You also have to wait until exams open before you can take them. Though the capstone courses are pretty rigorous and the written assignments (of which there are many) are no joke, so it may be rough to accelerate your progress unless you can dedicate full-time to the course. You must complete all assignments on time, and the final project/paper within the 12-weeks unless you qualify for a short extension, so you can't work on it gradually.

[pws]

Yes, it is a 12-week course so it takes 3-months to complete. You can turn in assignments early, but you still have to participate in the mandatory group discussions. You also have to wait until exams open before you can take them. Though the capstone courses are pretty rigorous and the written assignments (of which there are many) are no joke, so it may be rough to accelerate your progress unless you can dedicate full-time to the course. You must complete all assignments on time, and the final project/paper within the 12-weeks unless you qualify for a short extension, so you can't work on it gradually.

Thanks for the heads-up; I'll make sure to finish off a lot of courses and clear out a portion of my schedule!

[davewill]

Even if you were to turn in assignments early, there's no guaranty that you will get them graded early, which would hobble future assignments. I really needed the comments on the drafts to keep on course.

[dfrecore]

If it were me, I would not do the Capstone until I knew I was a pretty decent writer, and had the time to dedicate to it. Which means for most people, after you've done English I & II, and a few UL courses where papers were required (either Study.com or B&M courses).

If you think you can handle the writing itself, then you just need to clear your schedule. I wouldn't be doing it while taking3 Study.com courses and studying for 2 CLEP exams or something like that. I didn't take any other courses during my capstone at all - I completed what I could before it started, and finished the last 2 when it ended, before the final graduation audit.

[Merlin]

I posted this in the main thread, but I'm also leaving it here since its relevant to this thread as well...

Apparently, TESU is changing its capstone policy next year...

Effective January 1, 2019, Baccalaureate students will not be permitted to register for a capstone course unless they have 100 credits applied toward the requirements for the declared degree and a GPA of 2.0 or higher.

This change means that you will need to be pretty close to the end of your degree program before you can register for the capstone.

[Ideas]

I spoke to an academic advisor because I wanted to enroll in the capstone. I was told their official policy is that you need to have at least 99 credits toward the degree. (As of Jan 1st, that apparently changes to 100.)