Culminating Learning Experience
A project is a hands on learning experience that is often called a Capstone Project. These programs are educational experiences for senior students that integrate classroom activity with supervised practical experience in instructional, community, or more formal research settings.
BYU Hosts several on-campus competitions pertaining to different majors and fields. Your college should have these events posted on their website/announced through their email updates.
A conference or symposium is a formal gathering of scholars including students and professors. They often focus on one specific field and include research presentations. Often times, a guest speaker is invited to speak on a current issue or new data. Talk to your department about opportunities to attend conferences.
Honors program students may choose a creative or performance-based work as their thesis project, which combines an original work (exhibition, performance, composition, etc.) with a written component. For example, many students in theater, film, art, music, creative writing, dance, communications, design or digital media choose this option. While such a project can form the basis of a thesis, it is not a thesis in and of itself and must be accompanied by a substantial written portion (15-20 pages) of analysis or background. The essential elements of a thesis listed above also apply to creative projects.
Some students (typically in film, music, dance, and media) have the opportunity to participate in local festivals to perform or learn from other artists. These festivals allow students to network, create, and collaborate with people from different schools or organizations while providing an opportunity to showcase a student’s work.
Portfolios are a culmination of work throughout an entire semester or year. These are often required for those in the fine arts/communications major, as well as some business majors. Portfolios demonstrate your creative thinking & thought process while displaying projects and pieces that are often required by core classes.
Some majors require a final show, performance, or recital as a requirement for graduation (namely in the fine arts department). These performances showcase what you have learned at BYU.
In your thesis, you will craft and define a problem (often with help from your advisor). You will have to find and explain the context for that problem, including a clear summary of the related works of others. You must justify why your research problem is worth pursuing. Once completed, you will have the opportunity to develop a clear written description of your work and a coherent and concise argument for its conclusions. This is a written assignment and is often accompanied by an oral presentation.