Capstone Option

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The Capstone Option is for the student who has earned or will soon earn an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree, Associate in Engineering Sciences (AES) degree, or equivalent certification and whose SIU major is one that participates in the option. The Capstone Option advantage allows students to complete an abbreviated University Core Curriculum (UCC) requirement of 30 credit hours rather than 39 credit hours.

Key features of the Capstone Option are:

  1. Gives occupational students who have changed their educational and occupational goals an opportunity to pursue a four-year degree;
  2. Is an alternative option to obtaining the four-year degree typically involving no more than two additional years of college;
  3. Seeks to recognize similar objectives in both two-year occupational programs and four-year baccalaureate degree programs; and
  4. Seeks to recognize similar objectives in certain work experiences and in four-year baccalaureate degree programs.

The baccalaureate degrees in the following academic colleges participate in the Capstone Option at Southern Illinois University Carbondale:

Requirements for the Baccalaureate Degree through Capstone

A student completing the degree through the Capstone Option must complete the University’s hour requirement, residence requirement, and average requirement for the bachelor’s degrees. The course requirements for the UCC under the Capstone Option are explained below.

University Core Curriculum Requirements Credits
English Composition: ENGL 101, ENGL 102, or ENGL 120H or equivalent with a grade of C or better 3
Communication Studies: CMST 101   3
Mathematics: Mathematics course numbered MATH 101 or above, with the exception of MATH 120 and MATH 300I.  3
Science: (Select one physical and one biological science.) 6
Social Science: (Select two courses from different disciplines on the approved list) 6
Humanities: (Select one course from the approved list) 3
Fine Arts: (Select one course from the approved list) 3
Multicultural: (Select one course from the approved list) 3
Minimum Total 30

In addition to the University Core Curriculum requirements, the student must complete the program requirements.

Eligibility for the Capstone Option Requires the Student to:

  1. Have entered a bachelor’s degree program at SIU which participates in the Capstone Option.
  2. A student who changes their major will require recertification for Capstone for the new program by no later than the end of the first semester in the new program. Recertification occurs when the student requests change of curriculum form with Capstone Option indicated from the new degree program to be processed through the Registrar’s Office.
  3. Have earned an associate degree, or equivalent certification, in a non-baccalaureate-oriented program of at least 60 semester hours. Equivalent certification, for the purposes of Capstone eligibility, is defined as the formal completion of a technically-oriented program of two years duration (60 semester hours), resulting in the receipt of the equivalent of an associate degree (certificate, diploma, or other documentation as provided by the student’s educational institution).
  4. Have submitted all transfer work including the associate degree prior to being approved for the Capstone Option. This documentation includes all official transcripts from other institutions and may include test reports, evaluation of military experience, work experience, or whatever other kind of training has been used to award the associate degree. Official transcripts from other institutions must not be more than 30 days old when received by SIU.
  5. Resident students concurrently enrolled in an AAS degree and a bachelor's degree program approved to participate in the Capstone Option will be provisionally approved pending completion of the associate level requirements. Eligibility may be established with 60 semester hours of combined transfer and resident work.
  6. Have earned a minimum grade point average of 2.0 (4.0 scale) as calculated by the transfer institution's grading policy. 

The official recognition of Capstone benefits will be determined after application to SIU has been made. Additional information about the Capstone Option is available from the Registrar’s Office or on the web at articulation.siu.edu.

The Capstone Option will automatically be considered as a part of the Undergraduate Admission application process for those applicants who indicate they are transferring an AAS degree, AES degree, or the equivalent certificate. Students are recommended to consult with their academic advisor for more information about their eligibility to the Capstone Option.