Sport Leadership Capstone Requirements
The culminating experience of the Sport Leadership program is the Sport Leadership Capstone. All Sport Leadership students are required to complete SPL 6006 Sport Leadership Capstone during their last semester of the program. SPL 6006 is a six credit hour course that offers students an opportunity to complete their academic experience by building on the themes and leadership theories covered throughout the Sport Leadership program.
The capstone experience requires students to select a topic of academic and professional interest and complete a research project to gain an in-depth understanding of the possible solutions to a leadership problem in the sport industry. Students also share their experiences through the development of a digital portfolio. The digital portfolio highlights the student’s skills, knowledge, development, quality of writing, and critical thinking by showcasing a comprehensive collection of work samples and artifacts from the student’s experiences in the Sport Leadership program. This capstone experience will conclude with a presentation and defense of the research project and digital portfolio.
Since students should begin thinking about the Capstone research project early in their course of study, students will be introduced to the Capstone concept and requirements during the students’ first intensive at the beginning of the program. While students only enroll for Sport Leadership Capstone for one semester, the research project ideally should be a work in progress leading up to enrollment in and completion of the Capstone. The research topic should be discussed with Sport Leadership faculty to ensure a comprehensive approach is possible in the investigation. The length of the Capstone research project depends on the magnitude of the investigation and the time given to thoughtfully and thoroughly discuss the topic under study. The structure of the project fuses classroom learning, academic research, and school or community practice into a finished work that they will present in a formal venue to a Capstone Committee consisting of qualified faculty from the Department of Sport Studies. This project serves as an opportunity for students to create their own unique contribution to their field of study, which they can bring with them and implement, if they wish, into their professional settings.