Design and Implementation of a Capstone Project Course for a Mining Engineering Degree Program

The Mining Engineering section of PUCP initiated an accreditation plan with ABET, which it successfully passed. However, among the recommendations provided by the accrediting agency was the suggestion to include a capstone project course. In response, a new capstone project course had to be created that meets the competencies established by PUCP and ABET. Students should apply the knowledge acquired in all courses throughout their studies, in addition to considering the needs of the mining industry. This article outlines the methodology and stages employed in the creation, implementation, and subsequent evaluation rubrics for the capstone project course. To this end, a focus group was held in 2023 with professionals and academics from the mining industry to align market requirements with the competencies that a graduate in Mining Engineering should possess. Subsequently, the course was introduced in the first semester of 2024 and evaluated by the Career Committee of the PUCP Mining Engineering Section. Finally, the best projects were presented at XPOSTEM, a science fair organized by the Faculty of Science and Engineering to showcase the best projects from various engineering programs.