Capstone Requirement

The capstone is a critical component of the Data Science in Biomedicine MS program, designed to provide students with in-depth exposure to applying data science methods and techniques to problems in medicine. The capstone is a degree requirement. Students must complete their capstone in order to obtain their degree.

Students can choose any project as their capstone project, provided it meets the requirements listed below. For some students, this will be an extension of a course project. Other students will participate in supervised research with a faculty. Some other students will utilize their Biodesign AI as a starting point for their capstone. It is recommended that students carefully weigh their options and only decide on their capstone project after completing several courses.

There are two components to the capstone requirement. The first is a capstone course which requires students to take at least one course featuring a major project. The second is a capstone project where students complete a major project applying data science techniques to a biomedical problem. The capstone project is supervised by a program faculty and includes a written and presentation component. The capstone project may or may not be a project from the capstone course.

Capstone Course

To fulfill the capstone course requirement, students must successfully complete one of the following capstone courses with a grade of “B” or better:

• DSB 218: Applied Data Science in Genomics and Biomedicine
• DSB 219: Data Science Algorithms in Biomedicine
• DSB 220: Data Science in Biomedicine Supervised Project

Capstone Project

The capstone project must utilize data science methods and techniques to address a problem in biomedicine. The project can be a continuation of a course project or alternatively, students can propose their own capstone project idea. While the project may be part of a larger team effort, the capstone project itself must be primarily the student’s own work, demonstrating their ability to apply data science skills to biomedical problems. If part of a larger team project, the capstone must focus on the portion completed by the student.

Each student must find a faculty supervisor for their capstone project. The faculty supervisor will guide the project and ensure it meets the program's academic standards. All faculty who are course instructors of Data Science in Biomedicine courses are automatically approved to be capstone advisors. Students interested in working with a different faculty as a capstone advisor must get program approval.

Prior to starting their capstone project, students must fill out the capstone proposal form describing their proposed project and listing their faculty advisor. Please reach out to the Student Affairs Officer at msdsb@ucla.edu for a link to the form. Note that the capstone proposal form should be filled out no later than the end of week six of a student’s sixth course in the program.

The capstone project requires completion of the project and:

• A written component:
  An eight-page paper detailing the project's background, methodology, results, and conclusions.

• A presentation component: 
  A 10-minute recorded presentation summarizing the project.

Upon completion of the capstone requirement, students must fill out the capstone approval form. Please reach out to the Student Affairs Officer at msdsb@ucla.edu for a link to the form. Note that the capstone approval form should be filled out no later than the end of week six of a student’s ninth and final course in the program.