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Workload and progression

Plan 530–785 focused hours, including repairs. These are author estimates, not learner timing measurements. Legacy sequence 91–96 gives ordering, not a six-week completion promise. At 20 hours/week allow roughly 27–40 weeks; at 30 hours/week, 18–27. Peer scheduling and delayed retakes can extend elapsed time.

Allocation​

  • Module 1: 65–95 hours, original practice 47–69 plus integrated extension 18–26.
  • Module 2: 125–185 hours, original practice 103–153 plus integrated extension 22–32.
  • Module 3: 85–125 hours, original practice 65–95 plus integrated extension 20–30.
  • Module 4: 100–150 hours, original practice 78–116 plus integrated extension 22–34.
  • Module 5: 65–95 hours, original practice 47–69 plus integrated extension 18–26.
  • Required cross-cutting strand: 50–75 hours.
  • Semester integration/assessment/repair: 40–60 hours.

Modules total 440–650 hours. Integration comprises project assembly 18–25, checkpoint/cumulative retrieval 6–10, exam 4, evidence defense 3, repair 9–18 hours. Ordinary reading, implementation, original labs and quizzes are already inside module totals. Reuse the same system, raw evidence and review records; charge strand hours only for additional investigation and integration hours only for assembly/defense/repair. Do not implement the whole project twice.

Required progression​

All 30 module categories (CA/CT/CD/OR/GD, six per module) and every G1–G7 strand category require at least 2 on the shared scale: 0 absent/incorrect, 1 prompted/incomplete, 2 independently evidenced with limits, 3 fresh transfer. Preserve original checkpoint minimum 80%, exam 70% overall and 60% in every major section, project deliverables and integrity requirements. Any stricter original criterion also applies. Conditional pass means repair remains; it does not allow progression or graduation.

Retain delayed transfer at least 48 hours later, real reviewer/operator participation where required, positive and negative control tests, and raw experiment evidence. A finite Python model, tabletop or checklist cannot replace an actual deployment, signature verification, cluster experiment or restore required by a gate. Record unavailable prerequisites honestly and finish independent work while they are pending.

Evidence integration​

Index each category to source revision, tool/runtime version, environment, exact procedure, raw observations, independent check, limitation and repair. Distinguish implemented, measured, simulated, proposed and pending. Keep secret state/plan files and private feedback out of public artifacts. Use synthetic records and disposable local targets for experiments; the curriculum does not authorize destructive work on shared or production systems.

Preserve all original capstone capabilities: real datastore and client, meaningful domain boundaries, mandatory IaC-driven cloud deployment where specified in the project, actual pipeline and rollback, exercised observability, three ADRs, modern-paradigm decision, accessibility/usability, ethical review, timed restore and credible external review. Local deployment is a rehearsal for a required real-cloud claim, not an undocumented waiver. A carefully scoped modular monolith is permitted. Cut optional product features before evidence or safety requirements.

All five modules operate on one project. Assemble architecture and acceptance first, build a walking skeleton, make release/restore possible early, then iterate on a small critical workflow. Revisit architecture when evidence changes. Graduation requires all gates, not merely reaching the final calendar week. Do not buy more books to compensate for missing practice; revisit earlier resources selectively.

Foundation transfer at graduation​

Use the foundation transfer audit within the existing G7 defense and project-assembly budgets. It connects earlier required evidence to fresh capstone changes without extra hours or forced AI/parallel features. All original runtime and independent-review gates remain.

Independent practice route and evidence reuse​

The following entry checks and changed-case practice make the existing module work inspectable. Use them within the current original-practice, lab and retention allowances; no full-book reading or new parallel project is added. An existing artifact can satisfy both an original exercise and this route when it demonstrates the same claim. Keep one evidence index linking each required gate to the exact artifact, actual run, assistance and reviewer status. Do not waive a topic simply because a different lab passes.

Keep authored material, author execution, learner attempts, independent review and delayed transfer as distinct statuses. Retain existing construction, security, HCI, AI-use, world-class and capstone strands and all per-gate minima. Real-system and human requirements remain pending until observed; planned observations are not completed evidence. Record actual study time before revising estimates.