The Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development Practice is one of the most exciting opportunities within the Development and Governance concentration, and is also open to a limited number of students in other concentrations. Officially, it is a spring-semester course for second-year master's degree students, but workshop activities begin in the fall semester through the course on Methods for Sustainable Development Practice. Through the workshop, students gain practical experience by engaging in on-going cutting-edge sustainable development efforts aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and often involving in-country work. Working in teams with a faculty supervisor, students assist a variety of clients on a wide range of assignments related to sustainable development. Students take a multidisciplinary approach to their work, learning extensively from each other as well as from the hands-on tasks of the workshop itself. Another key strength of the workshop is that it allows students to explore the intersection of development concerns with human rights, corporate social responsibility, humanitarian affairs, gender, public health, and environmental policy. Reflecting the utility of workshop assignments, several workshop reports are available on client websites and have been published. Past clients have included UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNIFEM, and WFP; the World Bank and IDB; national and local governments; NGOs such as Catholic Relief Services, Endeavor, FilmAid International, International Institute for Rural Reconstruction, International Rescue Committee, Seva Mandir, Trickle Up, WaterAid, and Women's Refugee Commission; and development advisors such as DAI and Technoserve. The precise scope of the workshop project and outputs that the students will deliver are negotiated with each client.
The Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development Practice is one of the most exciting opportunities within the Development and Governance concentration, and is also open to a limited number of students in other concentrations. Officially, it is a spring-semester course for second-year master's degree students, but workshop activities begin in the fall semester through the course on Methods for Sustainable Development Practice. Through the workshop, students gain practical experience by engaging in on-going cutting-edge sustainable development efforts aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and often involving in-country work. Working in teams with a faculty supervisor, students assist a variety of clients on a wide range of assignments related to sustainable development. Students take a multidisciplinary approach to their work, learning extensively from each other as well as from the hands-on tasks of the workshop itself. Another key strength of the workshop is that it allows students to explore the intersection of development concerns with human rights, corporate social responsibility, humanitarian affairs, gender, public health, and environmental policy. Reflecting the utility of workshop assignments, several workshop reports are available on client websites and have been published. Past clients have included UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNIFEM, and WFP; the World Bank and IDB; national and local governments; NGOs such as Catholic Relief Services, Endeavor, FilmAid International, International Institute for Rural Reconstruction, International Rescue Committee, Seva Mandir, Trickle Up, WaterAid, and Women's Refugee Commission; and development advisors such as DAI and Technoserve. The precise scope of the workshop project and outputs that the students will deliver are negotiated with each client.
The Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development Practice is one of the most exciting opportunities within the Development and Governance concentration, and is also open to a limited number of students in other concentrations. Officially, it is a spring-semester course for second-year master's degree students, but workshop activities begin in the fall semester through the course on Methods for Sustainable Development Practice. Through the workshop, students gain practical experience by engaging in on-going cutting-edge sustainable development efforts aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, and often involving in-country work. Working in teams with a faculty supervisor, students assist a variety of clients on a wide range of assignments related to sustainable development. Students take a multidisciplinary approach to their work, learning extensively from each other as well as from the hands-on tasks of the workshop itself. Another key strength of the workshop is that it allows students to explore the intersection of development concerns with human rights, corporate social responsibility, humanitarian affairs, gender, public health, and environmental policy. Reflecting the utility of workshop assignments, several workshop reports are available on client websites and have been published. Past clients have included UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNIFEM, and WFP; the World Bank and IDB; national and local governments; NGOs such as Catholic Relief Services, Endeavor, FilmAid International, International Institute for Rural Reconstruction, International Rescue Committee, Seva Mandir, Trickle Up, WaterAid, and Women's Refugee Commission; and development advisors such as DAI and Technoserve. The precise scope of the workshop project and outputs that the students will deliver are negotiated with each client.
The EMPA Capstone Workshop
is a culminating experience in which students apply the practical skills and analytical knowledge acquired during the program to a real-world policy or management challenge. Working in small consulting teams under faculty supervision, students engage with an external client to address a defined problem, conduct research, and deliver actionable recommendations.
Each team produces a final written report and presents its findings in a formal oral briefing designed to support implementation and impact. The workshop develops applied consulting, project management, and client engagement skills while reinforcing core competencies in policy analysis and public leadership.
Completion of the Capstone or Portfolio Presentation Workshop is a graduation requirement for Executive MPA students and is typically taken in the final semester. Enrollment is by application and managed by the EMPA Student Affairs.
Prerequisite: Course Application.
A Capstone Workshop is a live consulting project with an external client outside of SIPA. Each workshop partners a team of about 6 graduate students with a faculty advisor. The goal is to provide clients with innovative analysis and practical recommendations while SIPA students gain experience by working on a real-world problem. A core requirement for the Master of International Affairs (MIA), Master of Public Administration (MPA), the workshops give students an opportunity to put learning into practice. Serving as their culminating educational experience at SIPA, students work in teams of 6-8 students under the guidance of an expert faculty advisor to work on a real-world consultancy project with an external client. For more information, visit:
https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/sipa-education/capstone-workshops.
Prerequisite: Course Application.
A Capstone Workshop is a live consulting project with an external client outside of SIPA. Each workshop partners a team of about 6 graduate students with a faculty advisor. The goal is to provide clients with innovative analysis and practical recommendations while SIPA students gain experience by working on a real-world problem. A core requirement for the Master of International Affairs (MIA), Master of Public Administration (MPA), the workshops give students an opportunity to put learning into practice. Serving as their culminating educational experience at SIPA, students work in teams of 6-8 students under the guidance of an expert faculty advisor to work on a real-world consultancy project with an external client. For more information, visit:
https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/sipa-education/capstone-workshops.
Prerequisite: Course Application.
A Capstone Workshop is a live consulting project with an external client outside of SIPA. Each workshop partners a team of about 6 graduate students with a faculty advisor. The goal is to provide clients with innovative analysis and practical recommendations while SIPA students gain experience by working on a real-world problem. A core requirement for the Master of International Affairs (MIA), Master of Public Administration (MPA), the workshops give students an opportunity to put learning into practice. Serving as their culminating educational experience at SIPA, students work in teams of 6-8 students under the guidance of an expert faculty advisor to work on a real-world consultancy project with an external client. For more information, visit:
https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/sipa-education/capstone-workshops.
Prerequisite: Course Application.
A Capstone Workshop is a live consulting project with an external client outside of SIPA. Each workshop partners a team of about 6 graduate students with a faculty advisor. The goal is to provide clients with innovative analysis and practical recommendations while SIPA students gain experience by working on a real-world problem. A core requirement for the Master of International Affairs (MIA), Master of Public Administration (MPA), the workshops give students an opportunity to put learning into practice. Serving as their culminating educational experience at SIPA, students work in teams of 6-8 students under the guidance of an expert faculty advisor to work on a real-world consultancy project with an external client. For more information, visit:
https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/sipa-education/capstone-workshops.
Prerequisite: completion of all M.Phil. requirements, and approval of a research proposal by the supervising faculty adviser.