Capstone Requirement

UH West Oʻahu students are required to complete a capstone course in their specific degree and concentration area. A capstone course is the culminating scholastic effort and experience that asks students to incorporate the terms and concepts learned in their various classes to demonstrate the skills and knowledge learned in their area of study. This experience varies depending upon the student’s interest area and is completed in the final semester of the study.

While students are encouraged to participate in other work, research, or field experience opportunities such as internships when they are sophomores or first semester juniors, earning credit for the capstone requirement is limited to the student’s last semester before completing their degree requirements. This allows the student to integrate more classroom learning during the Capstone.

Students should visit and/or contact their UH West Oʻahu Academic Advisor to go over graduation requirements and project their graduation date.

Capstone Course Registration

Refer to the UH West O‘ahu General Catalog for program requirements and specific course description and prerequisites.
Special approval and registration approval overrides are required for registration into a capstone course. Refer to the information listed below for concentration specific contacts and information.

When preparing for registration and graduation, students should also contact and/or visit their UH West O‘ahu Academic Advisor to go over graduation requirements and project a graduation date.

Capstone Options

Senior Project

Students complete a research paper based on original or library research related to a particular problem or issue in their concentration area. The objectives of the senior project are to develop research and information retrieval skills, refine communication skills, and other research related competencies. Students will then share their research demonstrating their understanding theories and practices. Although the senior project is usually in a student’s concentration, students may select topics that require multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary study. Senior Project topics are subject to faculty approval.

SENIOR PROJECT GUIDELINES (PDF)

Senior Practicum

The goal of the practicum course is to allow students the opportunity to gain experience through field-based coursework within the workforce and apply the theories and concepts learned in the classroom. Students will then report on their experience using their understanding of theories and practices. In doing so, students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to adapt to professional situations.

Students will complete field-based coursework related to their concentration area, such as an internship. Education majors will complete Student Teaching where they will be assigned to a school and classroom to teach in the grade level and content area related to their licensure area(s). Student Teaching Seminars are co-requisites.

Senior Practicum Guidelines (PDF)

Forms

A Practicum Affiliation Agreement form and Student Practicum Agreement form are required for students to complete a practicum course. Copies of these forms are distributed only to students who have registered into a 490 Practicum Course.

Contact the Capstone course instructor or program contact (see below) for the required forms.

Program Options and Contacts

Applied Science

Concentrations	Capstone Courses *	Contact
Creative Media	CM 490 Creative Media Practicum CM 491 Senior Project	Sharla Hanaoka Director, Academy for Creative Media at UH West O‘ahu shanaoka@hawaii.edu
Hawaiian and Indigenous Health and Healing	APSC 486J Senior Project – HIHH	Dr. Kau’i Baumhofer nicolekb@hawaii.edu
Health Information Management	Student must take both: HIM 490 HIM Practicum & RHIA Exam Prep APSC 486H Senior Project	Dr. Lynette Williamson, RHIA, CCS, CPC, FAHIMA lwill3@hawaii.edu
Health Professions	APSC 486P Senior Project APSC 490P Senior Practicum	Dr. Rebecca Romine rromine@hawaii.edu
Respiratory Care	APSC 486R Senior Project APSC 490R Senior Practicum	Dr. Kristina Lu kguo@hawaii.edu
Sustainable Community Food Systems	SCFS 490 Senior Practicum	Dr. Albie Miles albie@hawaii.edu
Culinary Management Facilities Management Information Security and Assurance Information Technology	APSC 486α Senior Project APSC 490α Senior Practicum	Marnelli Joy B. Ulep Business Division Capstone Coordinator uhwobusa@hawaii.edu

Business Administration

Concentrations	Capstone Courses *	Contact
Accounting Facilities Management Finance General Business Administration Hospitality & Tourism Management Marketing	BUSA 486α Senior Project BUSA 488α Senior Case Studies BUSA 490α Administrative Practicum	Marnelli Joy B. Ulep Business Division Capstone Coordinator uhwobusa@hawaii.edu

Creative Media

Concentrations	Capstone Courses *	Contact
Communication and New Media Technology Design and Media Game Design and Development General Creative Media	CM 490 Creative Media Practicum CM 491 Senior Project **Prerequisite: CM 489 Pre-capstone Experience	Sharla Hanaoka Director, Academy for Creative Media at UH West O‘ahu shanaoka@hawaii.edu

Education

Concentrations	Capstone Courses *	Contact
Elementary Education	EDEE 492, Student Teaching Seminar EDEE 490, Student Teaching **corequisites, that must be taken in the same semester	Dr. Stephanie Kamai, Field Experience Coordinator shkamai@hawaii.edu
Middle Education	EDEE 492, Student Teaching Seminar EDEE 490, Student Teaching **corequisites, that must be taken in the same semester	Dr. Cathy Ikeda, Assistant Professor cathyi@hawaii.edu
Secondary Education	EDEE 492, Student Teaching Seminar EDEE 490, Student Teaching **corequisites, that must be taken in the same semester	Dr. Cathy Ikeda, Assistant Professor cathyi@hawaii.edu

Humanities

Concentrations	Capstone Courses *	Contact
Creative Media	CM 490 Creative Media Practicum CM 491 Senior Project	Sharla Hanaoka Director, Academy for Creative Media at UH – West O‘ahu shanaoka@hawaii.edu
English	ENG 490 Senior Practicum ENG 491 Senior Project	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.
Hawaiian Pacific Studies	HPST 490 Senior Practicum HPST 491 Senior Project	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.
History	HPST 490 Senior Practicum HPST 491 Senior Project	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.
Mathematics	MATH 491 Senior Project	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.
Philosophy	PHIL 490 Senior Practicum PHIL 491 Senior Project	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.

Natural Science

Concentrations	Capstone Courses *	Contact
Applied Mathematics	NSCI 486α Senior Project NSCI 490α Senior Practicum	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.

Public Administration

Concentrations	Capstone Courses *	Contact
Community Health	PUBA 486α Senior Project PUBA 490α Administrative Practicum	Dr. Camonia Graham-Tutt camonia@hawaii.edu
Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Management	PUBA 486α Senior Project PUBA 490α Administrative Practicum	Dr. Jason Levy jlevy@hawaii.edu
Health Care Administration	PUBA 486α Senior Project PUBA 490α Administrative Practicum	Dr. Kristina Lu kguo@hawaii.edu
General Public Administration	PUBA 486α Senior Project PUBA 490α Administrative Practicum	Anita Tanner atanner@hawaii.edu
Justice Administration	PUBA 486α Senior Project PUBA 490α Administrative Practicum	Lorinda Riley lorindar@hawaii.edu
Long-Term Care	PUBA 486α Senior Project PUBA 490α Administrative Practicum	Dr. Lisa Spencer lisaspen@hawaii.edu

Social Sciences

Concentrations	Capstone Courses *	Contact
Early Childhood Education	SSCI 490C Social Sciences Practicum	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.
Psychology	SSCI 486P Senior Project	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.
Anthropology	SSCI 486α Senior Project SSCI 490α Social Sciences Practicum	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.
Economics	SSCI 486α Senior Project SSCI 490α Social Sciences Practicum	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.
Political Science	SSCI 486α Senior Project SSCI 490α Social Sciences Practicum	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.
Sociology	SSCI 486α Senior Project SSCI 490α Social Sciences Practicum	Contact instructor for advising and registration approval override.