Are all capstones intense writing?

[Merlin]

I started looking at grad programs and am assuming they all have capstones (looking at competency based programs). Is that a safe assumption? And are they all writing like this??  

It varies based on the degree you're pursuing and whether you're at a research college or not, but in general, you will be doing a LOT more writing at the graduate level that you did in undergrad. The TESU capstone felt more like a graduate-level course in terms of the writing.

FYI, many master's degree programs require a thesis and most doctoral programs will require a dissertation. These are time and research intensive papers that require a ton of writing that takes place over months (or years for dissertations). This is in addition to the writing that is required for each course in the degree program.

Even if you're looking at professional degrees instead of research degrees, which tend to have capstones or projects rather than a thesis or dissertation, you'll still end up with quite a bit of writing along the way, particularly in the final project/capstone.

Most online degrees, particularly competency-based ones, are very writing intensive. The exception being WGU, which requires a mix of papers, projects, and presentations in addition to exams in their master's degree programs. Though many of the programs are changing, and WGU appears to be moving away from exams and more towards papers, projects, and presentations in the graduate courses.

That said, you shouldn't let academic writing scare you. The more papers you write the better and faster you get at it. I used to be much slower at writing but after going through my undergrad capstone and completing my MBA, I prefer writing over exams now. APA formatting is second nature now as well.

I'm looking at doctorate programs, and the way I see it, all the writing at the masters level is there to help prepare you for the writing at the doctoral level. So I'm not too worried other than the time requirements.