Alumni Testimonials

Camila Albertini

MA Interdisciplinary Studies, 2025; BA, Journalism, Gabriela Mistral University, Santiago, Chile

My experience during the MA IS as an international student was beyond academic. The professors were willing to help me with their outlook without overlapping the others. It was teamwork all along the process. Interaction between different disciplines was central to the development of my research since it added intersectionality. I learned different ways to reach my goals, diversifying my tools and discerning importance versus urgency and reducing to some degree the stress of complying with the deadlines of different main professors. I appreciate the value they placed on my research as a contribution to the academic world, encouraging me not to give up.

Jessica Curtis

Part-Time Instructor at Stan State;
MA Interdisciplinary Studies, 2020; BA, Art History, Stan State, 2016

My experience during the IS program was very rewarding! When I was deciding on which program to attend for my masters, I had an idea of what I wanted to study but no direct master’s degree program to accomplish it. When advised to look into Interdisciplinary Studies, it was the perfect fit! I learned valuable skills going through the process of designing my course of study, and with my committee’s guidance, we built a program that was tailored to my specific interests. The disciplines that I combined were Art History, History with a concentration of European History, and English with a concentration on Literary Theory. By pairing these disciplines together, I was able to genuinely connect with the research I was gathering for my thesis paper. I was happy with the end results of my program and I encourage anyone to explore what the IS program has to offer if they find themselves in a similar educational path as I was in!

Benjamin Jameson-Ellsmore

Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Virgina; PhD, History of Art and Architecture, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2023; MA, Interdisciplinary Studies, Stan State, 2016; BA, Philosophy, Stan State, 2014

The Interdisciplinary Studies program at Stanislaus State was crucial in shaping my academic career. The program filled an important gap by offering an advancement opportunity in the humanities that otherwise would not exist at state schools. After earning my MA, I entered the PhD program in History of Art and Architecture at UC Santa Barbara, where completed an interdisciplinary dissertation drawing on architectural history and media studies. Following the PhD, I worked for the Historic American Buildings Survey, and I am now teaching in the interdisciplinary Engagements Department at the University of Virginia. An interdisciplinary education during and since the MA has been extremely useful in a highly competitive academic employment environment. Because of it, I can apply to postdocs, fellowships, and tenure track professorships in multiple fields.