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Academics / Purchase Experience / Senior Project

Senior Project

Imagine having a year to develop a project that is wholly owned and created by you—a finished work that is an unequivocal expression of your creative vision and education.

The preparation begins right away.

Every Purchase student has the opportunity to showcase their academic achievement with a Senior Project or Senior Capstone. Throughout your time at Purchase, you’ll be exposed to different classes and learning opportunities, and guided and mentored by dedicated faculty. In the process, you will form ideas and earn the skills and knowledge to equip you for a transformative experience in crafting your final Senior Project.

The result is something all your own.

Finished Senior Projects take many forms, including research papers, dance and music recitals, recordings, films, art exhibitions, theatre productions, books, and creative writing excerpts. Senior student work is showcased across the campus every spring in a variety of presentations, symposia, and exhibitions.

Acquiring in-depth knowledge of your subject matter is only part of the prize. Equally important is what the process promises—you sharpen articulation skills, learn to synthesize disparate ideas, and master the art of defending an argument.

These final projects often provide a springboard to future career opportunities, and can highlight your accomplishments to graduate schools and future employers—the perfect preparation for life after Purchase College.

Take a few moments to read the stories of former students and their senior projects below. Then picture yourself at Purchase carving your own unique path.

For policies and procedures on how current students submit their senior projects, please see this page.


Senior Projects in Action

  • Blond woman looks into a microscope.

    Nationally Ranked for Graduates Who Earn PhDs

    The Senior Project paves the way to grad school. (Ranking according to the National Science Foundation Survey.)

  • Purchase College students and faculty at the Northeast Natural History Conference

    Students Present at NENHC 2023

    Six students and two faculty mentors attended the 2023 Northeast Natural History Conference in Burlington, VT in April to present their senior project research.

  •    Vuk Lungulov-Klotz '16

    Award-Winning Debut Feature Opens at NYC’s Film Forum

    Mutt by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz ’16, also screened at Sundance, Berlin Film Festival, and New Directors/New Films 2023.

  • Victoria deMartin '14

    MovieMaker Supports Project by Victoria deMartin ’14

    The magazine selected deMartin’s first feature film to support through its Production Services program.

Show 4 more... (20 total)

Senior Project Snapshots:

  • Gloria Bennett '10

    Gloria Bennett ’10

    Affecting policy with her knowledge of emotion’s critical role in ethics.
  • Madeleine Wykstra '12

    Madeleine Wykstra ’12

    Taking action on major geopolitical issues
  • Krystal Perkins '02

    Krystal Perkins ’02

    Providing a spark to study prejudice and marginalized communities.
  • Tom DePaola '10

    Tom DePaola ’10

    Senior project allows PhD candidate to skip Master’s thesis.
  • Ghazi Al-Mulaifi '08

    Ghazi Al-Mulaifi ’08

    Preserving the music and tradition of Kuwaiti pearl-diving.
  • Stephanie Rosenberg '10

    Stephanie Rosenberg ’10

    A year in waders leads to a career in environmental engineering.
  • Rebecca Morse '93

    Rebecca Morse ’93

    Curating an exhibition leads to career in major museum.
  • Alex Moskowitz '11

    Alex Moskowitz ’11

    Empowered by the academic freedom the senior project provides.
Show 2 more... (9 total)

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