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Undergraduate FAQ

Capstone Courses

What is a capstone course?

A capstone course requires upper-year students to complete a research or development project using the knowledge and skills they've gained in their program.

Members of the School of Computing submit project ideas for students every year; some may have a "customer" or co-supervisor from outside the School.

What is the difference between a capstone course and an honours project?

Students enrol in a capstone course to complete a project, often called an honours project. The terms are sometimes used interchangably.

Do I have to take a capstone course?

Software Design is the only Computing program that requires a capstone course. As of July 2024, all other honours programs do not.

Students in Software Design who complete a professional intership have substitutions available. Please refer to the Substitutions section of the plan.

Can I take a capstone course if my program doesn't require it?

Absolutely! Go for it.

How do the capstone courses differ?

The group and supervision information in the following table is typical, not exact.

Course Duration Groups Projects Supervision
CISC 495 Four months Small teams Make a moderate-sized change to a piece of existing open-source software A Computing supervisor and a customer familiar with the software
CISC 496 Four months Small teams Develop a computer game The course instructor
CISC 498 Eight months Teams of three to five Develop an information system following a particular software development process A Computing supervisor and an external customer
CISC 499 Four months Usually small teams; rarely individual Complete a research and/or software project; students must find a supervisor and negotiate a specific project before they can enrol A Computing supervisor and perhaps a co-supervisor
COGS 499 A supervisor from CISC, LING, PHIL, or PSYC
CISC 500 Eight months Individual Produce an undergraduate thesis where software development (if any) is incidental; must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA and submit a proposal by June 15 A Computing supervisor

How do I enrol in CISC/COGS 499?

Early in September, the CISC/COGS 499 OnQ space for the current academic year will be available for self-enrolment.

  1. Go to your OnQ homepage.
  2. Locate the Browse Self-Registration Courses widget and select Browse Now.
  3. Search for "499" and when the course appears, select it.
    • Do not search for "CISC 499" because that won't match CISC/COGS 499.
  4. From the course details page, select Enrol in Course.
  5. You should see a dialog with the title "Successfully Enrolled" - select OK.
  6. Return to your OnQ home screen and select the correct Winter semester from the "My Courses" widget - CISC/COGS 499 should be there.

Please note that joining the OnQ space does not enrol you in SOLUS. In the Fall, the OnQ space is just a platform for the project and supervisor approval process.

If your project proposal is accepted by a supervisor and meets the prerequisites, you will be enrolled in CISC 499 in SOLUS in the Winter. The OnQ space will then be linked to SOLUS and anyone who did not receive approval will be removed.

How do I enrol in CISC 500?

You can't enrol in CISC 500 via SOLUS because the School must ensure that you meet the requirements, which are more involved than those for other courses. Instead, you need "permission of the School", which you can secure by completing the following process.

  1. Send your unofficial SOLUS transcript to the course coordinator, Sidney Givigi.
    • The coordinator will verify that you have the prerequisites.
  2. Write a draft research proposal.
    • The proposal is a 3-4 paragraph description of the topic you intend to pursue, including:
      • the general area of research;
      • the specific topic within that area you intend to pursue; and
      • a brief indication of how you plan to conduct your research.
    • The audience is your intended supervisor and the course coordinator.
    //
  3. Find a supervisor.
    • Determine which faculty member(s) share your research interests. 
    • Meet one-on-one with a potential supervisor and discuss your draft proposal.
    • You are solely responsible for finding a supervisor.
      • If you are unable to do so but still want to complete a project, please consider enrolling in CISC/COGS 499 instead.
  4. Revise the research proposal to your supervisor's satisfaction.
    • Note that this initial proposal is not the same as the detailed one that will be required as part of your coursework.
  5. Ask your supervisor to email the course coordinator with the following information.
    1. A statement that they've agreed to supervise you.
    2. The revised proposal.
      • The coordinator will ensure it meets consistent course standards.
    3. One paragraph describing how the project requirements and learning meet the criteria for CISC 500.
  6. Ensure your supervisor sends the email before the deadline, which is typically the last business day in May.

I have an idea for a research or development project. Who do I contact?

Please contact the appropriate coordinator:

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