Degree Requirements (48 credits)

• 8 Required (24 credits)
• 6 Electives (18 credits)
• Dissertation proposal and dissertation (6 credits)

Competency in Hebrew language

Participation in Summer Institute live online webinars for three days in July is required for students in this program during their first two summers of study.

Two required comprehensive exams: one in ancient Judaism, and one in medieval/modern Jewish Studies

Required (24 credits)

3 courses (9 credits)
Graduate Proseminar in Jewish Studies
Graduate Proseminar: Jewish Memory and Historiography
Graduate Proseminar: Public Scholarship in Jewish Studies

Four colloquia (12 credits)
Colloquium in Ancient Jewish Studies
Colloquium in Medieval Jewish Studies
Colloquium in Modern Jewish Studies I (Europe and Muslim World)
Colloquium in Modern Jewish Studies II (North America and Zionism/Israel)

Reading Tutorial (3 credits)
Independent Study/tutorial: Readings Course in student's sub-field

Electives (18 credits): with approval of program director, doctoral courses in Jewish Studies, Interfaith leadership, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, or Education. 

Proposal for Dissertation (3 credits)
Applied Dissertation or Academic Dissertation (3 credits)
Placement by advisement

Graduate Certificate (12 credits)
4 Electives of student's choice from Jewish Studies Master's level course selection (course numbers 5XX and 6XX)
All courses are three credits, unless otherwise noted.

Courses taken for a graduate certificate in Jewish Studies may be applied towards the M.A. in Jewish Studies degree requirements, should the student wish to continue studying.

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All courses are three credits, unless otherwise noted.

Degree Requirements (36 credits)

• Required Courses (6 credits)

• Elective Courses (24-27 credits)

• Master's Thesis or Final Project (3-6 credits)
• Hebrew Language Proficiency

Required Courses (6 credits)

• JST 507: Introduction to Classical Judaism
• JST 551: Judaism's Encounter with Modernity

Students who have done equivalent introductory work as an undergraduate or elsewhere may place out of the introductory series, and take two additional elective courses in Jewish Studies instead.

Elective Courses (24-27 credits)

• Classical Jewish Studies Electives (2)
• Modern Jewish Studies (2)
• Electives in Jewish Studies (4-5)

Courses in Medieval Studies may count toward the requirement in either the Classical or Modern periods.

Master's Thesis or Final Project (3-6 credits)

• Master's Thesis (6 credits)
• Final Project (3 credits)

Hebrew Language Proficiency

Candidates for the M.A. in Jewish Studies must demonstrate competency in Hebrew language before graduation equivalent to Hebrew I. Students may meet the Hebrew requirement by passing a Hebrew proficiency exam.  Students who do not already possess this level of competency may satisfy this requirement through study in the Gratz College Hebrew program or through transfer credits from another approved program.  Hebrew level I, if needed, is taken in addition to the credits required for the M.A.

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