Senior Capstone
Complete the following Course:
- ARCHLGY130 - Senior Research Seminar for Archaeology Majors and Minors
For the class of 2025, students will have three options for their required capstone requirement, all will have to attend a Senior Research Seminar (ARCHLGY 130), and it will be added to the Core Degree Component.
ARCHLGY 130: Senior research seminar for Archaeology majors and minors is offered to students in their final year of study as either a stand-alone course on designing research projects and writing or as a touchpoint for students who are launching the writing phase of their senior projects or honors thesis.
CAPSTONE OPTION 1: Honors Thesis - The honors program in Archaeology gives qualified majors a chance to work closely with faculty on an individual research project culminating in an honors thesis. Students may begin honors research from several starting points, including topics introduced in the core or upper-division courses, independent interests, research on artifacts in Stanford’s collections, or fieldwork experiences.
Interested Archaeology majors of junior standing may apply for admission by submitting an honors application form, including a four to five-page statement of the project, a transcript, and a letter of recommendation from the faculty member supervising the honors thesis to the student services specialist, no later than the end of the fourth week of the spring quarter. Archaeology majors are eligible to apply for honors candidacy. The thesis is due in early May of the senior year. It is read by the candidate’s advisor and a second reader selected by the student or, at the student’s request, appointed by the undergraduate committee. Students will be invited to present at SAC Spring Symposium in May or may arrange to present their research results in another public forum.
Contact the Archaeology Student Services Officer for the honors application form and submit it by the fourth week of spring quarter of your junior year.
CAPSTONE OPTION 2: SUAC Project - Students interested in working on a capstone project with the Stanford University Archaeology Collections (SUAC) can do so individually or as a team. Projects are tailored to the student’s interest within the scope of current initiatives underway at SUAC. Students work with staff at SUAC and Faculty Mentors at SAC. Projects may take various creative forms, such as deep research or materials analysis of a particular artifact, research reports on sites or collections, or the development of a virtual or physical exhibit. Students will be invited to present at SAC Spring Symposium in May or may arrange to present their research results in another public forum.
Contact the Archaeology Student Services Officer for more details.
CAPSTONE OPTION 3: Senior Project - The Senior project is for students who want to design their capstone individually or as part of a team. Students will participate in autumn quarter in Archlgy 130, Senior Research Seminar for Archaeology majors/Minors to explore their ideas and begin developing a project proposal. During winter quarter, students will start and/or continue the research and development of the project. Students will be invited and required to present at SAC Spring Symposium in May or may arrange to present their research results in another public forum.