Professional Media Capstones

The Professional Media Capstone series provides students with opportunities to build their resume while helping their community. Capstone courses ask students to put theory into practice—to raise and consider questions of structural inequalities and enduring struggles for human rights, freedom, and power as a part of professional media and communication projects. You will work together with your peers across courses and majors to explore a common theme, listen deeply to the concerns of those within the community, and address important challenges through original research and client-ready deliverables. 

Work with classmates, professors, and the Denver community to build a portfolio of professional work.

Capstone Courses

  • Documentary Film Production I & II

    Create documentary-style short films from start to finish

    These courses present an integrated (theory and practice) approach to film and video documentary. The theoretical component presents a historical overview of the various styles and modes of documentary with a discussion of the way each has developed in response to perceived limitations of the mode then dominant and the ethical decisions that filmmakers continue to face. Majors can take both Documentary and Narrative capstones, counting one for the major and one as electives if they so choose. Students will then collaborate with their teams in the production and post-production phases of a documentary project. This includes filming, editing, sound design, scoring, color correction and mastering. In-class critique sessions and guest speakers bolster this experiential quarter.

  • Narrative Film Production I & II

    Create narrative-style short films from start to finish

    The narrative courses are both process and product oriented with a goal for students to work collaboratively to develop a 7-10 minuteoriginal narrative film script or web series (2-3 episodes that run approximately 10 minutes total) and complete all of the pre-production tasks necessary to take it into production spring quarter. Depending on class size students will make 3-5 films. Classes will examine the scriptwriting revision and pre-production processes, and students will finish the quarter with a completed pre-production notebook that will include, among other things, a shooting script, overheads, a script breakdown, production schedules, casting decisions, location scouting reports, a look book, a pitch deck and a shooting schedule. Likewise, through readings, discussions and screenings, the course is designed to expose students to the larger world of narrative filmmaking. During the second quarter students will film, edit and present finished work.

  • Media Studies Research

    Conduct research, analyze data and write a research report to answer a pressing question facing our world

    This capstone course in the Media Studies major is open to all students interested in engaging in the work of media research, which includes identifying a research question, collecting and analyzing data, and writing research reports. The course covers interviewing, textual analysis, ethnography, historical research, and is rooted in project-based learning.

  • Strategic Communication Seminar

    Work with a client on a strategic communication campaign

    This is the capstone course in the strategiccommunication sequence. In this course, students examine special topics in strategic communication and apply what they have learned to group projects in which they take on a client and work together as a team on a strategic communication campaign.

  • Advanced Multimedia Web Storytelling & Publishing

    Build a multimedia website from scratch

    This course is one of two possible capstone classes for journalism students. In this course, students tap the reporting, writing, editing, and multimedia production and editing skills and knowledge learned and practiced in previous journalism studies classes and apply them to building from scratch, an open content management based multimedia web site.

  • Advanced Multimedia Journalism with PBS Partnership

    Partner with Rocky Mountain PBS to create documentaries and written pieces

    This capstone course for journalism majors provides students with opportunities in experiential learning as together they bolster the coverage and amplify the voices of underserved communities in Colorado. Rural, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and religious minority communities, among others, will be the subject of our attention and the focus of the class media projects. Students produce several mini-documentaries and written pieces that will be submitted for consideration to, and may air on, the RMPBS program, Colorado Voices, and on the PBS Video app.

"Working with students on the Capstone project was a great experience for our organization. We were so impressed with how engaged the students were in our mission and the depth and thoroughness of their research and recommendations. We are excited to implement many of their recommendations and feel so fortunate to have been part of this project."

Tracey Brummett Community Outreach Director, One Good Turn

"As a graduate of University of Denver it has always brought me pride as a journalist to work with students at the school. Our recent collaboration with the MFJS school has been a highlight for myself and our team at Rocky Mountain PBS. The students produced award winning work and took our feedback with grace."

Linda Kotsaftis Chief Content Officer, RMPBS

"It was a really great learning experience because we were being pushed to produce the best product we could and we had to really work to create something unique.”

Alex Welch Journalism Studies Major
An MFJS student points the lens of her camera directly into the lens of the photographer.

Register for a capstone course

Professional Media Capstone courses help build your resume, create connections with future employers, and put you a step ahead in your career. Sign up for the capstone course best suited to your interests and career goals.

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