Freshmen Seminar
CAP Program
What is the CAP Certificate Program?
The CAP Certificate Program is a new option at CU-Colorado Springs. Regardless of your specific major, you may apply to graduate with a Certificate in Career and Academic Professionalism. As a CAP Certificate student, you will take a concentration of required courses (8-9 hours) to gain practical skills and complete the requirements listed on the CAP Portfolio Checklist. CAP courses will help you refine your speaking, writing, teamwork, and technology skills as you prepare for the workforce or continue your studies in graduate school.
What’s in it for me?
Lee Iaccoca once said, “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your brains won’t get you anywhere.” Employers today are looking for prepared applicants with ready-to-apply, practical skills that help them get across what they know. As you take courses in your major, you’ll learn a great deal of subject matter, but you may learn less about what it’s like to work as a professional in your chosen career. In a recent Alumni study of CU-Colorado Springs graduates, for example, only 46% of respondents agreed strongly that “UCCS provided me with a detailed understanding of my career.” CAP courses will help you focus on your own personal and professional future as you earn your degree and give you specific qualifications to present to a potential employer.
How do I apply?
During your sophomore or junior year, and not later than the first semester of your senior year, you must file a “Declaration of Intent.” Send an email message to Dr. Constance Staley, Director, at cstaley@uccs.edu that includes:
- Your name, mailing address, email address, and phone number (s)
- Your major and (if applicable) minor
- Your intended graduate date
- Your current GPA (for courses completed at CU-Springs—a 3.0 or above is required of CAP applicants)
What must I do to qualify for a CAP Certificate?
To qualify for a CAP Certificate, you must take the following courses:
ID 101 Freshman Seminar (3 credits) OR ID 301 Transition Seminar (for transfer students, 2 credits) AND ID 366 OR ID 409 (or approved substitution, 3 credits), AND BAD 301 Career Strengths (1 credit) AND BAD 302 Career Skills (1 credit) AND BAD 303 Career Success (1 credit) OR, instead of these three one-credit courses, an approved capstone course in your major
Examples of Senior capstone courses that may be substituted include:
- ANTHRO 498, Senior Seminar
- BIOL 401, Seminar in Biology
- CHEM 495/96, Chemistry Seminar I and II
- GES 498, Professional Experience II
- PES 481 and 482, Senior Physics Seminar
- V A 498, Professional Seminar (in Visual Arts)
For more information, please contact Dr. Staley. Dr. Staley, Program Director, is available for in-person advising in Columbine 3057, by telephone at 262-4123, or via email. Please call or write to make an appointment.