Choose your own adventure

Learn more about the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies program.

Emily Burkholder, a recent graduate of Royal Roads University's Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MAIS) program, shares her journey of tailoring her education to her career goals in climate and sustainability.

"It was like a choose-your-own-adventure," says Burkholder.

In the MAIS program, Burkholder chose the course-based degree option.  She appreciated the program's flexibility to shape her academic path based on her interests and felt that there was a lot to learn from the content as well as the diverse backgrounds and interests among her peers.

"We had to do a few general courses together, and people were studying coaching, communication, business development,” says Burkholder. “Everyone was in all different areas, so that was awesome too because we all had different interests coming together in a neat way to learn.”

Burkholder focused on core subjects like humanitarian action and disaster management. She valued the program's incremental learning approach, with each course building upon the previous one to reinforce key concepts.

"One thing that really related to sustainability in disaster management was this idea of redundancy," Burkholder explains. "Throughout every single quarter, it was like building blocks so the first course you got the foundation, and then the next course, you learned a bit more, and they reiterated what the last course said."

Outside the classroom, Burkholder participated in group projects that linked international humanitarian efforts with local sustainability initiatives. Drawing on her background in international development, she gained practical insights from her peers and real-world scenarios.

"Because I came with this kind of international development background, I thought I had an idea of what disaster management was. I didn't," says Burkholder. "Being in the course really reaffirmed that I had so much more to learn about structure and regulation."

Looking ahead, Burkholder aims to apply her education to work in emergency management and community resilience and she hopes to inspire others seeking to make a meaningful impact in the world of sustainability.

By embracing interdisciplinary education, Burkholder showcases the power of personalized learning in preparing for future careers in addressing global challenges.

Learn more about the Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies program.