If you’re considering the 100% online Applied Veterinary Science major within the Master of Veterinary Science degree, you may be wondering: What does the capstone look like?
The online capstone isn’t a traditional research project. Instead, it gives you an opportunity to take what you’ve learned throughout the program and put it to work on real-world veterinary science problems.
Here’s what you need to know.
You won’t be looking for one “right” answer
Veterinary problems rarely have simple solutions.
Animal health can intersect with environmental conditions, economics, human behavior, public health, access to resources, and competing priorities. A solution that makes sense scientifically may not always be practical in the real world.
That’s the challenge at the center of the capstone.
You’ll work through veterinary science scenarios that require you to look beyond a single diagnosis or body system and consider the larger picture.
You’ll ask questions like: What’s really contributing to this problem? Who is affected? What information are we missing? What does the evidence tell us? And what solutions are both innovative and feasible?
You’ll build the evidence yourself
You won’t be handed everything you need to solve the problem.
You’ll identify what you know—and what you still need to know. Then you’ll investigate, evaluate sources, challenge assumptions, and use evidence to build a deeper understanding of the situation.
As new information emerges, your understanding of the problem may change.
That’s intentional.
The goal is to practice moving from knowing veterinary science to using veterinary science to solve problems.
You’ll learn to see the whole system
A major part of the capstone is systems thinking.
Instead of looking at an animal health issue in isolation, you’ll consider the animals, people, communities, environments, resources, and other factors connected to it.
You may discover that changing one part of a system creates consequences somewhere else—or that the most scientifically interesting solution isn’t necessarily the most realistic one.
Learning to recognize those connections is an important part of thinking like an animal health professional.
You’ll work as part of a team
The online capstone is a collaborative experience.
You’ll work with other students who bring different experiences, perspectives, and ways of thinking to the problem. One person may identify evidence others missed. Another may question an assumption. Someone else may recognize a human, economic, or environmental factor the group hasn’t considered.
Together, you’ll investigate, discuss, reconsider, and ultimately develop and defend potential solutions.
The experience puts your knowledge, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills into practice at the same time.
You’ll leave with skills you can use wherever you go next
For many Applied Veterinary Science students, veterinary school is part of the dream. For others, the program helps uncover different possibilities across the animal health industry.
Wherever you’re headed, the capstone gives you an opportunity to practice evaluating evidence, communicating ideas, collaborating with others, navigating uncertainty, and developing solutions that can work in the real world.
The capstone isn’t about proving how much veterinary science you’ve memorized.
It’s about discovering what you can do with what you’ve learned.
Study here. Exceed everywhere.
About Beyond The Classroom
Beyond the Classroom is a video series from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine featuring the real stories of Master of Veterinary Science students, alumni, and faculty.
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