For the final project, each student undertakes a significant intellectual endeavor, experiment, research project, or original work intended to advance understanding in a particular academic area and bring together the skills and knowledge acquired during the student's college career. The final project is a major work at an advanced level, occupying at least a full term. The three credits of a final project may be spread over two or more terms if the research requires more than ten weeks or if the student wishes to combine the final project with course work in her or his final terms.

Students are free to choose a form for their final project that best meets their personal, academic, and career goals. Often, students use the final project to complete a significant piece of work that will propel them into graduate school. For example, students may collaborate with researchers at COA or elsewhere and submit a scientific paper to a peer-reviewed journal. Or students may use the final project to complete a series of paintings that can serve as a portfolio. Sometimes students use the final project to synthesize different fields of study and to take academic and creative risks that may not be available to them in graduate school or professional work.

Students undertake a remarkably diverse array of activities for their final projects. Recent final projects have included scientific research, ethnographic studies, CD recordings of original music, installation art exhibits, high school or elementary school curricula and lesson plans, cookbooks, business plans for non-profit organizations and for-profit businesses, and others that defy categorization.

Examples of final projects may be found here