Master's Program

	Graduate School-New Brunswick 2017 Programs, Faculty, and Courses Jewish Studies 563 Master's Program
	Graduate School-New Brunswick

The master of arts (M.A.) degree in Jewish studies is designed for those seeking to advance their knowledge at a graduate level as preparation for doctoral-level work in Jewish studies, or for careers in other fields such as education, communal service, library science, and public affairs. This program affords nontraditional students and those individuals formerly trained in other disciplines the opportunity to strengthen their candidacy for admission to top ranked doctoral programs in Jewish studies. Students, particularly educators and professionals working in Jewish communal fields, may pursue the M.A. part time. Rutgers' program draws on the strength of its faculty in areas such as Jewish history, Bible, Jewish literature and cultural studies, religious studies, Yiddish, and Israel studies. The program provides students with the necessary tools to understand the development of Jewish life from the era of the Bible until the present and examine Jewish cultural production in its social and political context at a given historical moment; to recognize and analyze classical, premodern Jewish sources with proficiency in a Jewish language; and to become critical readers, thinkers, and writers of the Jewish experience. Students are exposed to a variety of methodologies used in the field of Jewish studies, including historical, literary, philosophical, philological, anthropological, and sociological methods of analysis. The M.A. program has both a "with thesis" option and a "without thesis" option. Students in the former track are required to complete 24 credits of graduate coursework and 6 credits of thesis writing; while those in the latter track are required to complete 30 credits of graduate coursework. In all cases, students must demonstrate proficiency in Hebrew or another Jewish language and pass comprehensive examinations (one major subject, one minor subject). Further information on program requirements may be obtained online at http://jewishstudies.rutgers.edu/academics/graduate.