His dissertation explored a psycho-historical analysis of the personality of the English theologian John Henry Cardinal Newman, and particularly his vocational struggles.
[citation needed] Capps' academic career started as Instructor at the Department of Religious Studies at the Oregon State University during the spring and summer of 1969.
[1] In 1989, Uppsala University, Sweden awarded him a degree of Doctor honoris causa in Theology for his contributions to the field of Psychology of Religion.
[citation needed] In May 2009, he retired with the status of Professor emeritus[3] but remained lecturing as adjunct until his death.
[1] Capps died on August 26, 2015, aged 76, in Trenton, New Jersey, as a consequence of injuries suffered in a car crash in Princeton.