Examining an Interdisciplinary Experiential Education Program for Doctoral Students

Educators, researchers, and institutions have long recognized experiential education's value for fostering ongoing learning and skill development. In recent years, experiential education has gained increased traction in higher education, based on recognized need for graduates to encounter and actively reflect on lived experiences in various disciplines. Yet, much of the research in graduate-level experiential education focuses on discipline-specific opportunities, often within the context of individual programs where students' career outcomes and program pathways are narrowly defined. In this paper, we examine experiential education as interdisciplinary practice. Through qualitative analysis of interviews, focus group, and data from a collaborative program evaluation, we respond to a gap in existing research to examine the perspectives of doctoral students from multiple faculties, programs, and degree types engaged in an interdisciplinary experiential education program. The study's findings contribute to a more robust understanding of the potential for experiential education as interdisciplinary practice, with direct examples of how doctoral students and higher education institutions are moving this work forward in this context. Research implications include examining similar interdisciplinarity in other contexts and reflection related to equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenization initiatives. Practice implications include aligning participant and program goals across disciplinary contexts.