Capstone Strategic Project | ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking

Real-Life Situation

Between Years 2 and 3, you will have an important opportunity to address an initiative within your own organization. The Capstone is the culminating component of the Stonier experience, and often has a career-changing impact. The Capstone requirements are slightly different depending on the type of organization where students are employed. The three options include: 1) Banker Capstone, 2) Regulatory Capstone, 3) Bank Services Capstone. All three Capstone options require a written final report as well as a face-to-face presentation to fellow students and a senior industry advisor. Milestones include:

• Examining how the change will fit with overall organizational strategy.
• Analyzing the financial and non-financial impact of the change.
• Presenting an implementation plan.
• Assessing potential implementation problems and steps to overcome them.

Support and Feedback

You will be assigned a Capstone advisor to serve as your mentor throughout the project to help you achieve optimum results. You will also receive a guide to “Writing Your Capstone,” a helpful tool to walk you through the process. During the school session, you present your Capstone strategic project to a team of peers and an industry practitioner serving as a Capstone facilitator, and receive constructive feedback to help with future presentations and implementation.

Banker Capstone

Students completing the Banker Capstone select a problem or opportunity facing their bank and propose a course of action, including an analysis of alternatives, a financial analysis, and an implementation plan. Examples of topics include, but are not limited to, new investments in fixed assets or technology, new products or delivery systems, organizational restructurings, or significant strategic change initiatives.

Regulatory Capstone and Bank Services Capstone

Employees of regulatory agencies or bank services organizations complete the project appropriate for their organization. Both projects require that students select a research project relevant to the banking industry. You will identify a significant issue or problem involving bank performance, risk management, or the role of banking regulation and supervision as your research topic. You will then assemble financial and/or economic data and carry out a statistical analysis. Your project will conclude with a presentation of the findings and conclusions, and recommendations that might follow from the research.

Capstone Project Samples

The following samples are for illustrative purposes only. Click the title to view PDF versions of Capstone strategic projects: