Announcements
- Meet Amm Quamruzzaman
- Meet Rakesh Bhandari
- Meet Fang Xu
- Meet Shreeharsh Kelkar
- ISF Student Featured in Berkeley News
- ISF Student Published in Berkeley Scientific Journal
- Fall 2022 ISF Classes
- ISF Alum Shares Peace Corps Video Testimonial
- Current ISF advisor availability
- NEW! ISF Major Map
- ISF Student Published in CHI Proceedings
- Join the ISF Facebook Group!
- ISF Career Destination Survey
The Major
The ISF major houses a research-driven program of liberal education. It is a problem-based program, not a discipline. It offers motivated students the unique opportunity to develop an individualized cross-disciplinary Research Program that includes a Course of Study and a Senior Thesis. The Course of Study is made up of courses taken in the social sciences, the humanities, and/or the professional schools and colleges, alongside the required courses in ISF. The capstone experience is a scholarly, rigorously-researched 40-page required Senior Thesis, a sustained inquiry in the social sciences and humanities based on original, cross-disciplinary research. Go here for information on meeting with an ISF advisor.
Advising
See a Student Academic Advisor or Faculty Advisor

Patrick Civello
Student academic advisor
- Office Hours
- 263 Evans Hall
GO HERE FOR INFORMATION ON SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT
The Student Academic Advisor’s job is to guide students and faculty as they navigate University, College, and Major Program policies. With a lifetime commitment to education and a master’s degree in college student counseling and career counseling, Patrick enjoys supporting faculty, students, and staff. He especially enjoys helping students develop the skills they need in succeeding at the university and in life.
Faculty Advisors

ISF Graduates
Maleah Fekete - Aesthetics and Idealized Self
Maleah is a spring 2017 graduate who has been accepted to the Sociology Ph.D. program at Harvard University. The title of her thesis is “Leisure Motivations: Romance Reading in 1984 and Today”. Her list of awards include the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) and the Institute of International Studies Junior Scholarship. She participated in the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP) …Read more »
Course Threads
The Interdisciplinary Studies Program is proud to host Berkeley Course Threads, developed by the Townsend Center for the Humanities, that give students the chance to connect their courses thematically to earn a certificate in interdisciplinary studies.
Additional Resources
The following destinations will give you more information as well as additional resources for the ISF Major
GSI Jobs
Graduate Student Instructors (GSI) and Reader Positions listed here.
Donate
Donate to ISF through the Give to Berkeley Website.
Graduation
Get the most recent information on ISF commencement and graduating.