The Capstone Project

Global affairs seniors may take a capstone course for their senior project, an opportunity unique to the Global Affairs major at Yale. Working in small groups and overseen by a Yale faculty member, the students complete a public policy project on behalf of a client, which can be government agencies, not-for-profits, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and private sector entities in the United States and abroad.

The program is designed to give our seniors hands-on public policy experience, and to give clients an opportunity to benefit from an independent analysis of an existing or prospective policy, initiative, or area of concern.

For each course, the Jackson School works with the client to formulate a project that is appropriate and mutually beneficial. Over the course of the fall semester, the students meet formally once a week with their faculty instructor, and work outside of class as necessary to complete their project.

Capstone enrollment requests and assignments into projects take place in the spring semester of students’ junior year, so students who would like to complete a capstone must be formally declared as Global Affairs majors by the beginning of the spring term in their junior year. Students should note this as they plan the completion of the major introductory requirements and/or as they petition Yale College to complete a double major.

The Senior Thesis

Beginning in the 2025-26 academic year, Global Affairs majors may fulfill the senior requirement by completing a capstone project or a senior thesis. Thesis writers can carry out their project in either a substantive seminar or in the Global Affairs senior thesis course.

The Global Affairs senior thesis course is taught each spring. Students may also write a senior thesis in a substantive seminar, in the fall or spring semester. In either case, students select their own academic advisor as well as a secondary reader and may choose from any faculty with a current appointment at Yale.

The creation of a formal senior thesis option in Global Affairs has been driven by students in the major who have already conducted original research as part of a seminar or as an independent project. The option to write a senior thesis also gives students more flexibility in the timing and format of their senior project. Students can find resources for independent research on the Research page.