SDSU Department of Biology &Microbiology
Capstone Experiences

Overview:

Biol 490 and Micr 490 are the two capstone courses that are listed in your catalog to fulfill the 1 credit senior-level seminar course-requirement for all biology and microbiology majors at SDSU.  At the present time, it is also possible for students to substitute one credit from a 494, 496 and 498 course for this requirement.  Very specific requirements must be met (see below) before a student will be allowed this substitution.  The requirements vary depending on the course used for the substitution, but in all cases, the student will need to produce a written document and post that document in the "capstone page" of the departmental website, and the substitution will need to be approved by your advisor and by the Biology/Microbiology department head.  The courses that are eligible for substitution include the following: 

BIOL PREFIXES:

• Biol 494 Internship [1-12 credits] (undergraduate teaching assistant or campus service lab workers that are paid or unpaid)
• Biol 496 Field Experiences [1-12 credits] (off-campus, career-related, paid or unpaid job, with an on-campus faculty member serving as a supervisor of the experience
• Biol 498 Undergraduate Research/Scholarship [1-6 credits] (on-campus, unpaid research experience)

BOT PREFIXES:

• Bot 494 Internship [1-12] (undergraduate teaching assistant or campus service lab workers that are paid or unpaid)
• Bot 496 Field Experience [1-12] (off-campus, career-related, paid or unpaid job, with an on-campus faculty member serving as a supervisor of the experience
• Bot 498 Undergraduate Research/Scholarship [1-4] (on-campus, unpaid research experience)

ZOOL PREFIXES:

• Zool 494 Internship [1-12] (undergraduate teaching assistant or campus service lab workers that are paid or unpaid)
• Zool 496 Field Experience [1-12] (off-campus, career-related, paid or unpaid job, with an on-campus faculty member serving as a supervisor of the experience
• Zool 498 Undergraduate Research/Scholarship [1-4] (on-campus, unpaid research experience)

MICR PREFIXES:

• Micr 494 Internship [1-12] (undergraduate teaching assistant or campus service lab workers that are paid or unpaid)
• Micr 497 Cooperative Education [1-12] (off-campus, career-related, paid or unpaid job, with an on-campus faculty member serving as a supervisor of the experience
• Micr 498 Undergraduate Research/Scholarship [1-4] (on-campus, unpaid research experience)

Substitution Requirements:

 The specific requirements for substituting each of the courses are described below:

XXX 494 Internship:
The student must .....

XXX 496/497 Field Experience/Cooperative Education:
The student must produce a MS Word File or PowerPoint File documenting and describing their experience.  At least a portion of their description should include a detailed explanation of the procedures and techniques learned during the internship.  A short description of the company/organization sponsoring the experience should also be included.

XXX 498 Undergraduate Research/Scholarship:
The student must have been involved in an undergraduate research project that has enabled them to give an oral presentation or a poster presentation of their results at a local, state, regional or national scientific meeting (a written verification of their involvement in this project must accompany the petition).  A pdf of the poster or presentation must be "published" to the department's "Capstone Experiences" website.  This can be done by emailing the file to michael.hildreth@sdstate.edu.
OR
The student must have been a co-author of a publication in a biologically-based scientific journal. This publication does not need to be "in print", but it should be submitted for publication by the time the petition is submitted. The SDSU Journal of Undergraduate Research would qualify as an acceptable journal. The manuscript or the publication citation must accompany the petition.  Future reference information (i.e. Authors, Article Title, Journal Name and date of submission must be emailed to michael.hildreth@sdstate.edu.

Student Experiences

2008