Master’s degree is a liminal stage at higher education between the bachelor’s and the doctoral degrees. The expected competency outcomes of a master’s degree presuppose a development on the foundations of the bachelor’s level while providing a basis for an original contribution at the PhD level with subject-specific abilities in integration of knowledge, its application, and communication of the same, coupled with a set of skills in self-learning.
A capstone experience that generally marks the conclusion to the coursework assesses these outcomes before a candidate is awarded a master’s degree. Does a thesis or dissertation consisting of empirical research alone assess the programme outcomes, as is the norm in many universities? Could there be an integration of capstone experiences and research with a variety of possibilities, taking into consideration the specificities of specialisations within the field of psychology and the need of the professional space? The aim of this conceptual paper is to highlight some alternative methods of the capstone experience, and to evaluate their suitability for summative assessment of the expected competency outcomes for master’s degree programmes in psychology.
Key Words: Capstone Experience; Master’s Degree; Thesis Projects; Summative Assessment.
Citation:
Selvam, S. G. (2026). Innovative Capstone Assessment Models Beyond the Thesis in Master’s Psychology Programmes. In Kumar, A., & Chakraborty, R. (eds.) Psychology Teaching and Learning: Innovations, Trends, and Best Practices (pp. 163-177). West Sussex, UK: Wiley & Sons Ltd.
See Wiley’s Publication of the edited book: https://www.wiley-vch.de/en/areas-interest/humanities-social-sciences/psychology-12ps/psychology-general-12ps0/psychology-teaching-and-learning-978-1-394-40236-6
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