Capstone Option

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You may already know we have the brains of a national research university and the heart of a small college. But we also offer the savvy of a technical college with the breadth and employment advantages of a broad-based University education.

The Capstone Option at SIU Carbondale puts you in the fast lane to a bachelor's degree in Capstone-approved majors if you already hold an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree, Associate in Engineering Science (AES) degree, or equivalent certification. How? We'll abbreviate your University Core Curriculum requirements. Instead of the 39 credit hour requirement for most students, Capstone students have a 30 credit hour requirement. That means you can earn a bachelor's degree in just 60 additional credit hours.

Capstone Option Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Enter a bachelor’s degree program at SIU which participates in the Capstone Option.

    • A student who changes their major will require recertification for Capstone for the new program.

    • Recertification occurs when the student requests change of curriculum form with Capstone Option indicated from the new degree program to be processed through the Registrar’s Office.

  2. Earned an associate degree, or equivalent industry certification in a technically oriented field, and at least 60 semester hours.

    • Equivalent certification, for the purposes of Capstone eligibility, is defined as the formal completion of a technically-oriented program of two years duration (60 semester hours), resulting in the receipt of the equivalent of an associate degree (certificate, diploma, or other documentation as provided by the student’s educational institution or industry certification).

  3. Submit all transfer work to SIU, including the associate degree.

    • This documentation includes all official transcripts from other institutions and may include test reports, evaluation of military experience, work experience, or whatever other kind of training has been used to award the associate degree or certification.

    • Official transcripts from other institutions must not be more than 30 days old when received by SIU.

  4. Earn a minimum grade point average of 2.0 (4.0 scale) as calculated by the transfer institution's grading policy.