Students participating in NYU Wagner’s Advocacy & Political Action Capstone course are highly motivated graduate students pursuing their Master of Public Administration in Public and Nonprofit Management & Policy. They are emerging leaders who are trained to advance equity, justice, and systemic change across a wide range of policy domains. These students bring strong analytical, research, and communication skills, and have experience in policy analysis, coalition building, legislative research, stakeholder engagement, and campaign strategy. 

Capstone projects in this course focus on supporting mission-driven organizations—such as nonprofits, advocacy coalitions, or public agencies—by helping them address complex, real-world challenges through strategic, equity-centered policy and advocacy work. Students are eager to apply their academic training and professional experience to create meaningful change and tangible deliverables that support your organization's long-term impact.

Through their Capstone collaboration, students will: 

CAPSTONE: LEARNING IN ACTION
NYU Wagner’s Capstone program pairs small teams of students with clients in the public and private sectors who are tackling a public service issue—whether in health, education, international development, urban planning, or any other programmatic field—to tackle a project.

Partnering with NYU Wagner’s Capstone program gives your organization access to top-tier, passionate public service students who bring fresh perspectives, innovative solutions, and skills to address complex issues and create meaningful change for your organization.

Our talented public service students provide in-depth analysis and actionable insights to help your organization optimize funding opportunities and strengthen financial sustainability.

Partnering with a Capstone team provides organizations with:

✅ Fresh perspectives and high-quality deliverables — including research, strategic analysis, and management recommendations that support stronger organizational performance and leadership decision-making.

✅ Hands-on consulting support from a team of trained graduate students, guided by experienced NYU Wagner faculty.

✅ A low-cost, high-value engagement that produces practical outputs such as strategic plans, operational improvement frameworks, organizational assessments, or evaluation tools.

✅ Access to emerging public service leaders with training in management, policy, and nonprofit leadership who are eager to contribute to mission-driven organizations.

✅ An opportunity to step back and reflect on your organization’s strategy, operations, and leadership practices through a structured collaboration with an external team.

Industry partners participating in the NYU Wagner Capstone program are expected to actively support the student consulting experience by providing a well-defined project and consistent engagement throughout the academic year.

Participating organizations should be prepared to:

• Identify a clearly defined project challenge aligned with the program’s topic areas and suitable for a small graduate student consulting team.
 • Designate a project manager who will serve as the primary point of contact for the student team throughout the engagement.
 • Participate in key project milestones, including the project kickoff, periodic check-ins, and the final presentation of recommendations.
 • Provide relevant background information, documentation, and context that will help students understand the organization, its operations, and the project challenge.
 • Offer timely feedback on student questions, research findings, and draft deliverables to help guide the team’s work.
 • Maintain regular communication with the student team and faculty advisor as needed during the project.

Projects should be scoped so they are feasible for a small team of graduate students to complete within the academic term while still providing meaningful value to the partner organization.