There are several ways that Senior Scholars and Capstone differ. Some of the key differences are:

1. Students follow a ‘scholarly’ approach to Capstone, but it does not need to be at the same depth of research as that for Senior Scholars;
2. Capstone projects require longitudinal effort throughout enrollment whereas Senior Scholars’ projects are started and completed in 2-3 months in the Advanced Studies (AS) year; and
3. All students plan a Capstone project starting in their first year of UMCMS, and only some choose to do a Senior Scholars project (with this choice being made typically sometime between the CCE year through the middle of the AS year).

Importantly (but under discussion by the CSD course leadership each year), students may choose to convert their Capstone into a Senior Scholars project. Students have the opportunity to expand their Capstone into a Senior Scholars project, as long as the project meets the requirements of Senior Scholars (i.e., 2 months of research time in the 4^th year and of sufficient depth to meet the Senior Scholars expectations). Another possibility is to end a current Capstone project and start a new Senior Scholars project. Some students may also choose to complete both Capstone and Senior Scholars projects (and receive credit for both of them if they complete their Capstone month in the AS block as well as the 2-month minimum for Senior Scholars) (see details below).

NOTE: CTRP students are required to do a Senior Scholars project regardless of whether this extends their Capstone project or the Senior Scholars project is developed independently. Students should check in with the CTRP leadership to confirm their goals for the AS year.

For non-CTRP students, there are 3 ways in which the Capstone and Senior Scholars projects can be related:

1. Students can expand their Capstone into a Senior Scholars project. The Senior Scholars Committee is fairly flexible in helping students transition their Capstone to Senior Scholars. This requires the student to demonstrate, when applying to Senior Scholars, how they are expanding their Capstone to meet the AS requirements of the Senior Scholars Program (students cannot simply take more time to complete their Capstone by joining the Senior Scholars Program). All students must obtain Capstone credit as this is a graduation requirement; however, a student who successfully completes a Senior Scholars project will have 4 of their Senior Scholars credits (1 of the 2 months) applied to Capstone. It is important to include this in the calculation of AS year elective credits and graduation requirements as credits ‘converted’ to Capstone from Senior Scholars DO NOT count towards the required number of AS electives.
2. Students may also opt to complete a Senior Scholars project in addition to completing their Capstone project (e.g., if their Capstone project is something different than what they’d like to pursue for Senior Scholars). In this circumstance, students can receive credit for both if they complete an AS month for their Capstone and the minimum 2 Senior Scholars months. However, they may do both without taking an AS Capstone month in the 4^th year as one Senior Scholars month can be applied for credit to cover the Capstone requirement. Students choosing this option should use their PEP form to carefully calculate the number of credits in their AS year to ensure they meet graduation requirements.
3. Finally, students may opt to do a Senior Scholars project and not complete their Capstone project, yet still get Capstone credit as a member of the Senior Scholars Program. However, it is strongly advised that the student discuss this with their Capstone Advisor (and potentially their LC Mentor) so that the Advisor is not being left with an unfinished project when there was an expectation by the Capstone Advisor that this be completed. Students must also check in with the CSD course co-director for their particular Learning Community/house in order to plan this transition.

All students must complete the required Capstone reflection, even those who expand their Capstone into Senior Scholars or stop their Capstone and start a (new) Senior Scholars project. The other CSD deliverables (e.g., progress reports and presentation) must be completed through the CCE year (even if signing up for Senior Scholars before the end of that year) and completed up to the point that the student is formally accepted into the Senior Scholars Program (if applying during the AS year).