This page is for students participating in a practicum or capstone course. If you’re unsure of whether you’re in this type of program, check with your instructor before moving forward.

You're building something real.

The ServiceNow practicum puts you in a consulting role. You'll identify a local business or nonprofit, understand their process challenges, and build a solution using ServiceNow's low-code tools. By the end of the semester, you'll have a portfolio-worthy project, hands-on platform experience, and a certification opportunity. Plus, you’ll build connections and receive invaluable guidance from mentors across the ServiceNow customer & partner ecosystem (people actually using ServiceNow every day)!

This tab has everything you need to get started and stay on track.

Your assigned courses

Your instructor will assign specific courses in ServiceNow University. Complete them in the order listed below before beginning your capstone build. Each course unlocks skills you'll need for the next one.

Not at all! Most students start with zero ServiceNow knowledge and that's completely expected. All required courses are designed for beginners, and you'll learn everything you need through the Welcome to ServiceNow and Citizen Developer Core Skills courses. The key is curiosity and commitment.
You'll reach out to organizations in your network during weeks 2–3. This could be a local nonprofit, small business, or community organization you already know. Faculty connections and direct outreach work well too. Look for organizations with manual workflows they want to automate. If you get stuck, your instructor and mentors can provide guidance.
While rare, this can happen. Talk to your instructor immediately if this occurs. You have options: find a new organization quickly, pivot to a related workflow with your current partner if available, or scope down your project to fit a tighter timeline. Your instructor will work with you to keep you on track for completion.
No. For security and compliance reasons, you should only use test or fictional data in your lab instances. Never use real customer, employee, or organizational data. This protects both you and the organization. Talk to your instructor if you're unsure what's appropriate.
This varies by week. Early on (weeks 2–4), you'll spend time on courses and finding your partner. Once building begins (weeks 4–13), plan for 10–15 hours per week depending on project complexity and your other commitments. The workload ramps up in the final 2 weeks for documentation and presentation prep.
Check with your instructor first—some courses allow pair or small group projects while others require individual work. If you do work as a team, make sure each person can clearly articulate their contributions for the final presentation and reflection paper.
First, check the ServiceNow Product Documentation and ServiceNow Community (500k+ users with answered questions). Then bring your problem to your mentor—that's what they're there for. Your instructor also hosts office hours every Friday where you can ask questions. Never hesitate to reach out; that's how you learn.
Yes! After the semester, you can request a Personal Developer Instance (PDI) at developer.servicenow.com and move your project there using update sets. This gives you a permanent space to keep building. Your organization also retains access to what you built in the Capstone Lab.
You'll unlock several micro-certifications along the way: Welcome to ServiceNow, Flows, and others depending on which courses you complete. Most valuable is the Certified System Administrator (CSA) exam from the Administration Fundamentals course—it's available at no cost through the program. You can attempt it after completing your coursework.