Master's Placement
When they finish their degrees, MA students will be well-positioned to continue to a Ph.D. program and qualified to pursue careers with internationally-oriented organizations. Among our MA graduates are those who secured positions with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law at Harvard, the Islamic Law Library at Harvard, and the Defense Attaché Office.
2022
Alyssa Goessler
Supervisor: Karen Grumberg
Senior Analyst in Advanced Industries, Aerospace and Defense at McKinsey & Company
Whitné Moussan
Supervisor: Hina Azam
PhD Student in Anthropology at UC Davis
Benny Rangell
Supervisor: Karen Grumberg
PhD Student in English at the University of Texas at Austin
2021
Rabea Benhalim
Supervisor: Kamran Aghaie
Associate Professor at Colorado Law, University of Colorado Boulder
2020
Dabya Al Rafaei
Supervisor: Zoltan Barany
Founder and Organizer, The Gulf Critical Theory Educational Program
Abby Attia
Supervisor: Faegheh Shirazi
Program Associate, Asia and the Pacific Divison, Rule of Law Initiative, American Bar Association
Elizabeth Ennenga
Supervisor: Mikiya Koyagi
Student Service Expert in the Office of Student Finance, University of Oklahoma
Denise Gomez
Supervisor: Benjamin Claude Brower
AP Human Geography Teacher; Houston, Texas
Matthew Lancaster
Supervisor: Joseph Straubhaar
Bilingual Customer Service Representative; Social Security Administration
Mona Mostofi
Supervisor: Karen Grumberg
Faculty Assistant and Program Coordinator, Persian Flagship Program, University of Maryland
Destiny Mundy
Supervisor: Hina Azam
Administrative Assistant at the Texas Workforce Commission
Lee Rooney
Supervisor: Samy Ayoub
Associate Director at Dundon Advisors LLC
Ari Tolany
Supervisor: Samy Ayoub
Scoville Peace Fellow at The Stimson Center; Washington D.C.
Aaron Wolfson
Supervisors: Samy Ayoub and Jeremi Suri
Research Manager at Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED)
2019
Amy Broome
Supervisor: Mohammad Mohammad
Host Employer Relations Manager at Alliance Abroad Group
Patrick Harned
Supervisor: Zoltan Barany
Research Data Specialist, Princeton University
Robyn Morse
Supervisor: Kamran Aghaie
Ph.D. student, Department of History, the University of Virginia
Blake Pye
Supervisor: Azfar Moin
Ph.D. student, Department of Religious Studies, the University of Texas at Austin
2018
Casey Boyles
Supervisor: Jason Brownlee
Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellow at The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law
Evan Burt
Supervisors: Jeremi Suri and Zoltan Barany
Researcher at TD International, LLC; Washington D.C.
Adam Crawford
Supervisor: Jeremi Suri
Homeland Security Analyst at California Governor's Office of Emergency Services
Courtney Diranieh
Supervisor: Mohammad Mohammad
Arabic and English language instructor, Austin Independent School District
Amber Howard
Supervisors: Faegheh Shirazi, Blake Atwood
Event and Program Coordinator, Clements Center for National Security; UT Austin
Amanda Jarvis
Supervisor: Kamran Aghaie
Academic Advisor, Utah Valley University
Catherine Malek
Supervisor: Blake Atwood
Journalism Instructor at Huston-Tillotson University
Tori Pell
Supervisors: Hina Azam, Faegheh Shiraz
Communication and Advocacy, Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace
Darya Rudych
Supervisor: Jeremi Suri
Product Data Analyst at Genesis Tech; Kiev, Ukraine
Bryan Sitzes
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie, Faegheh Shirazi
Ph.D. student, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, The University of Texas at Austin
Nicholas Teale
Supervisors: Zoltan Barany, Samy Ayoub
Data Analyst, Apex Systems; Austin, Texas
Zuli Nigeer Yasen
Supervisor: Jeremi Suri
Legislative Team Lead; Texas Health and Human Services
2017
Agaate Antson
Supervisor: Kamran Aghaie
Editor at Postimees AS, Estonia
Mitchell Bacci
Supervisor: Tarek El-Ariss, Yoav Di-Capua
Ph.D. Candidate, History and Middle Eastern Studies; Harvard University
Samuel Belcher
History Teacher; King's Academy, Jordan
Caitlin Sale
Consultant at Wright State Research Corporation
Angela Tripp
Freelance Writer
David Wood
Journalist; The Switchers
2016
Camille Bossut
Compliance Analyst; Credit Suisse
Norah Elamir
Supervisors: Denise Spellberg, Dale Correa
Sophia Golvach, MA, J.D.
Supervisors: Hina Azam, Robert Chesney
Judicial Law Clerk, El Paso County, Texas
Reem Harb
Supervisors: Yoav Di-Capua, Mahmoud Al-Batal
Senior Resettlement Assistant, UNHCR
Jeanne Canan Kaba
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie, Jeannette Okur
Program Coordinator and Communications Director, Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law
Safia Latif
Supervisors: Hina Azam
Ph.D. Candidate, Religious Studies, Boston University
Joseph Leidy
Supervisors: Yoav Di-Capua, Tarek El-Ariss
Ph.D. Candidate, History, Brown University
Kate Maddox
Supervisors: Sofian Merabet,
Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology, the University of Texas at Austin
2015
Weston Bland
PhD Student in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at UPenn
Gayle Fischer, MA, MSIS
Supervisors: Karin Wilkins, Philip Doty
Islamic Law Librarian, Harvard University
Anna Gibson
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie, Faegheh Shirazi
Federal Government
John Gloer
Supervisors: Karin Wilkins, Denise Spellberg
M.S.FIN Finance Student, Red McCombs School of Business-Finance
Kelly Houck
Supervisors: Blake Atwood, Kamran Aghaie
Paige Ingram
Supervisors: Denise Spellberg, Daina Berry
Program Specialist, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Phillip Issa
Supervisors: Yoav Di-Capua, Kamran Ali
Reporter, Daily Star Newspaper, Beirut Lebanon
Sarah Kaiser-Cross, MA, MGPS
Supervisors: Jeremi Suri, Robert Hutchings
Operational Counter Terrorism Intelligence Researcher, HSBC Dubai UAE
Eliot Klosterman
Supervisors: Zoltan Barany, Regina Goodnow
Intelligence Analyst, US Department of State
Laura Partain
Supervisors: Karin Wilkins, Blake Atwood
Ph.D. Candidate, Indiana University, Bloomington, Media School
Melissa Smyth
Supervisors: Karin Wilkins, Blake Atwood
Lecturer, Frantz Fanon University
James Stewart
Supervisors: Jeremi Suri
MBA Student, Red McCombs School of Business-Accounting
2014
Ian Gillen
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie and Jeremi Suri
Boston University School of Law
Clay Hardwick
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie
Foreign Area Officer, Defense Attaché Office
Emily Hawthorne
Supervisors: Faegheh Shirazi, Hina Azam
Middle East and North African Analyst, Stratfor
Alex McLelland
International Student Advisor; HOFT Institute ESL Program
Leah Miller
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie, Jeremi Suri
Analyst, Numu Consulting, Tunisia
Allison Minor, MA, MGPS
Supervisors: Karin Wilkins, Catherine Weaver
International Development Fellow; Program Manager for Arab Aid Tracking, Catholic Relief Services; Aid Data
Megan Pritchard, MA, MGPS
Supervisors: Jeremi Suri, William Inboden
Federal Government
Robyn Richards, MA, MGPS
Supervisors: Jeremi Suri, Jason Brownlee
Compliance Analyst, Emerging Technology Fund, State of Texas, Governor’s Office
Amy Stoller
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie, Karin Wilkins
Analyst, TD International
2013
Valerie Atwood
Supervisors: W.R. Louis, David Crew
Ph.D. Candidate, Josef Korbel School of International Studies
Daryl Carr
Supervisors: Karin Wilkins, Kamran Aghaie
Stephanye Hunter
Supervisors: Karen Grumberg, Sonia Seeman
Acquisitions Editor, University Press of Florida
2012
Tim Arnold, MA, MSIS
Supervisors: Megan Winget, Tarek El-Ariss
Information Manager, Ramboll Environ Corporation
Beeta Baghoolizadeh
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie, Faegheh Shirazi
Ph.D. Candidate, History, University of Pennsylvania
Lauren Baker
Supervisors: David Eaton, Yoav Di-Capua
Project Coordinator, Project on Middle East Political Science, George Washington University
Jamila Davey
Supervisors: Denise Spellberg, Faegheh Shirazi
Ph.D. Candidate, Comparative Literature, The University of Texas at Austin
Eric Eyges, MA, MPAff
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie, Varun Rai
Project Management Consultant, Cognotion Research and Analysis
Rebecca Hopkins, MA, MPAff
Supervisors: Mahmoud Al-Batal, Jeremi Suri
Researcher and Analyst, Courage Services
Amy Schweiss
Supervisors: Faegheh Shirazi, W.R. Louis
Studio Manager, Pushstart Creative
Luke Steidl
Supervisors: Yoav Di-Capua, Jeannette Okur
Sections Support Specialist, State Bar of Texas
Jessica Tibbets, MA, MGPS
Supervisors: Kamran Aghaie, Robert Hutchings
Policy Officer, US Department of State
2011
Stephen Bush
Supervisors: Yoav Di-Capua, Samer Ali
Student Services Manager, CIEE Study Abroad
James Casey
Supervisors: Yoav Di-Capua, Benjamin Brower
Ph.D. Candidate, History, Princeton University
Anthony Joyce
Supervisors: Yoav Di-Capua, Faegheh Shirazi
American Historical Association
Jeffrey Moe, MA, MSSW
Supervisors: Yoav Di-Capua, Benjamin Brower
VA Outreach Coordinator and Mental Health Clinician, School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
Joanna Schenke, MA, MPAff
Supervisors: Clement Henry, Varun Rai
Political Officer, US Embassy in Bangladesh, Department of State
Kelly Stedem
Supervisors: Clement Henry, Kamran Ali
Program Officer, UMAM Documentation and Research
2010
Leah Caldwell
Supervisors: Karin Wilkins
Journalist
Lauren Grifka
Supervisors: Ami Pedahzur, Na’ama Pat-El
Accountant, Zivetz, Schwartz, and Saltsman
Alyssa Miller
Supervisors: Tarek El-Ariss, Kamran Ali
Ph.D. Candidate, Cultural Anthropology, Duke University
Tatiana Poltoratskaia
Supervisors: Ami Pedahzur, Robert Moser
Nurse, Glendale Medical Center
Jonathan Walz
Supervisors: David Eaton, John M JR Sharp
Nonproliferation Programs, Department of State
