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Capstone Projects

Capstone Projects provide Swinburne degree students with professionally focused learning experiences during their final year of study.

Project units utilise real-world, authentic activities and challenges in a supportive and collaborative environment. Projects may be externally-sourced industry and community projects, competitions, research-based projects or internally developed project briefs (including, in some cases, student-initiated projects).
Each student is encouraged to identify their personal strengths, develop project management, team work and personal skills, and to apply their learning to real-world projects. These experiences enhance students’ CVs, preparing them for successful employment on graduation and for their future careers.

Features of major project units of study:

  • Students are set a major task (project topic) to achieve over one or two 12.5cp units of study. Students may be assigned (or allowed to choose, with approval) to work in teams or individually, with an emphasis on collaborative group work. Projects may be discipline-specific, multi-disciplinary and/or inter-Faculty.

  • Projects are open-structured, real world focused, and feature authentic professional activities and challenges. In each case, students are expected to:

    • Apply and/or synthesise a broad range of knowledge and skills that they have already learned
    • Acquire new knowledge and skills in order to complete the tasks
    • Develop the skills, behaviours and attitudes required of a professional in the workplace, and
    • Become self-directed learners, independently seeking resources, peer and professional assistance as needed.

  • Depending on the discipline and project topic, students may be provided with access to specific facilities (e.g. labs, studios), work in an industry context, or work in their own time and choice of location.
These features of Swinburne's Professional Learning Model are available to domestic students undertaking undergraduate bachelor degree programs offered at Swinburne's Melbourne and Sarawak campuses. Restrictions apply to international students in Australia on student visas, students admitted into programs with significant levels of advanced standing and students who undertake Swinburne programs in online/distance mode, designed and offered in conjunction with overseas or industry partners or delivered by Open Universities Australia. For further information on all Swinburne undergraduate programs, contact the Swinburne Student Information Centre, phone 1300 368 777.