Students must select one of three possible ways to fulfill their final year capstone project requirement.
(1) Entrepreneurship
This course is fundamentally about how to start a scalable business. Scalable businesses are those that can be expected to develop into complex enterprises. By focusing on businesses that have significant growth potential, this course challenges students to think through many aspects of running an enterprise. The unifying framework for this course will be a class project in which students work in teams to write business plans intended to attract support from venture capitalists and other investors. Students will also be required to make oral presentations to potential investors. The course places a heavy emphasis on case studies and discussions with business leaders. Entrepreneurial teams can consist of both business and computer science students.
(2) Applied Project
In this course, students will work individually or in teams on a real-life project at a firm operating in Ghana. Students will be assigned a faculty advisor. Business students will typically be required to write up a case study that adds to the body of knowledge about doing business in Ghana and Africa. Computer Science students may work on specific software or information technology projects for companies operating in Ghana or abroad. In addition to a written report, students will be required to make oral presentations to their peers, faculty advisors, and their host companies. Teams working on applied projects can consist of both business and computer science students.
(3) Research Project
In this course, students will work individually or in teams on original research in their area of interest. Students will be assigned a faculty advisor at Ashesi, but may in addition work with faculty living abroad via electronic correspondence. In addition to a written report, students will be required to make oral presentations to their peers and faculty advisors.