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School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs
    Student Capstone Projects | IE School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs

    Student Capstone Projects

    Students at IE School of Politics, Economics & Global Affairs can opt to complete a Capstone Project, allowing them to put everything they’ve learned into practice before completing their degree.
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    • Student Capstone Projects

    CAPSTONE PROJECTS

    As each student nears graduation, they’re required to take on a final project before finishing their degree. We offer them a choice between writing a Master’s Thesis and completing a Capstone Project.

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    WHAT IS A CAPSTONE PROJECT?

    The Capstone Projects is a unique opportunity for students to apply what they’ve learned at IE in a real-world context. For this project, they work in groups of two or three under the supervision of a professional mentor, and collaborate with a private, public or nonprofit organization to devise creative and innovative solutions to specific challenges.

    CAPSTONE TOPICS

    Available Capstone Projects for finance, economics and trade programs are posted online on Blackboard for review. Applicants must submit a CV, motivation letter and ranked list of five preferred assignments to the Program Management Team for consideration. After initial placements, students have until December 1st to switch to the thesis option. Research and implementation runs from January to June of every year.

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    METHODOLOGY

    Teams collaborate to produce several required deliverables: a one-page memo outlining project-specific deliverables, a 10-15 page literature review, a comprehensive final team report with an appendix, a 5-10 page individual reflective memo and a 15-minute final presentation with a Q&A. All deliverables must follow strict formatting guidelines and deadlines.

    Types of Capstone Projects Based on the Course

    MASTER IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

    Discover some of the capstone partners and the projects they are working on: 

    NOTE: The partners listed here are from previous intakes. Partnering institutions may vary from year to year.

    Real Instituto Elcano
    Carnegie Europe
    The Canadian Embassy
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    MASTER IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

    Discover some of the capstone partners and the projects they are working on:

    NOTE: The partners listed here are from previous intakes. Partnering institutions may vary from year to year.

    Ocean Born
    FAO
    Medecins Sans Frontieres
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    MASTER IN APPLIED ECONOMICS

    Discover some of the capstone partners and the projects they are working on:

    NOTE: The partners listed here are from previous intakes. Partnering institutions may vary from year to year.

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    Logo of IE University, Center for Innovation in Global Politics and Economics, featuring blue text on a black background.
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    Read Our Students' Stories and Practical Experiences

    Many of our former students have used the Capstone Project to make a real and lasting impact in communities and companies around the world. Want to know how? Read their stories below!

    • ALMA ACTIVA BUSINESS INCUBATOR

      As we were assigned our Capstone Project with Alma Nativa, we began by brainstorming ideas that would be well aligned with the project requirements, the mission and vision of Alma Nativa and, most importantly, the needs of the local community in Nicaragua.

    • KREAB GOVUP

      Our main goal was to provide assistance within Kreab’s GovUp platform. GovUp is a policy lab platform for public and regulatory innovation. It focuses on designing methodologies for more efficient governance to better stimulate innovation in the public sector, especially by building relationships between the public and private sectors.

    • 4ITWILLBE PEOPLE PROTECTION APP

      The greatest social challenges have yet to be resolved. Every day, many organizations and social enterprises around the world strive to tackle issues that affect the most vulnerable populations, and transform them into global opportunities.