Jewish Studies (JWST)

Abstract

The Jewish Studies Program offers both a Masters Degree in Jewish Studies, and a Graduate Certificate in Jewish Studies.

The Masters Program in Jewish Studies is designed to offer students broad, interdisciplinary, graduate-level training in Jewish Studies, as well as in-depth focus on some aspect of the Jewish experience. The curriculum draws on the strengths of the Jewish Studies Program at Maryland, especially Jewish History, Bible, Jewish Literature and Cultural Studies (particularly in the ancient and modern periods), Yiddish, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Israel Studies. In addition, students take courses in cognate fields outside of Jewish Studies in consultation with their advisors. The extremely strong, and still growing, library collection (rivaled in the mid-Atlantic region only by the Library of Congress), and our proximity to the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and other museums and institutions make the University a prime location for graduate Jewish Studies.

The Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Jewish Studies offers students already enrolled in graduate programs at the University to receive training in Jewish Studies. The program draws on faculty in History, English, Philosophy, Hebrew, and other Departments and Programs.

Admissions Information

Application Deadlines

Fall

Spring

Domestic Applicants:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

Domestic Applicant Deadlines

Applications must be received by December 15 (December 15 preferred) .

This program does not accept applications for this semester.

International Applicants:
Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials

IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.

Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas

February 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1

June 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants

May 1
If Domestic Deadline is after May 1

October 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials

May 15
If Domestic Deadline is after May 15

October 31
If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Application Requirements

GRE
3 Letters of Recommendation
Writing Sample
Personal Statement
Transcripts

	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants: U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
Domestic Applicant Deadlines	Applications must be received by December 15 (December 15 preferred) .	This program does not accept applications for this semester.

International Applicants: Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials IMPORTANT: International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.
Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas	February 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1	June 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants	May 1 If Domestic Deadline is after May 1	October 1 If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials	May 15 If Domestic Deadline is after May 15	October 31 If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31

Degree Requirements

Graduate Certificate in Jewish Studies ()
In order to be eligible for the Jewish Studies Certificate Program a student must be accepted into or currently enrolled in a master's or doctoral degree program at the University of Maryland.

Students must take four graduate level courses (12 credits) in Jewish Studies. At least six of the 12 credits must be in a different discipline than the student's home department. All students take JWST 600, General Seminar in Jewish Studies, plus at least two other graduate readings or research courses at the 600-800 level. Only one 400-level course can count toward the certificate. Students must work with an advisor to determine which courses best suit their particular needs.

Master of Arts (M.A.)
1. Hebrew Language. As a prerequisite for admission, students must have achieved the proficiency-level corresponding to four semesters of university-level Hebrew, and must achieve the level of six semesters of university-level Hebrew by the time they have completed the program. Courses in Hebrew language will not count toward the 30 credits needed for the degree. Students will be asked to demonstrate their knowledge of modern academic Hebrew by examination, or through a research project making extensive use of Hebrew-language materials.

2. Course of Study.

Core Distribution: (a) JWST 600, General Seminar in Jewish Studies (3 credits), which introduces students to the fields, methods, and problems of Jewish Studies as a cluster of disciplines; (b) one course each in the general areas of Jewish History, Jewish Thought or Religion, and Jewish Literature, normally by enrolling in JWST 648, Readings in Jewish history; JWST 658, Readings in Jewish Thought; and JWST 678, Readings in Jewish Literature (9 credits total).

Specialization: 4 courses (12 credits) in consultation with the advisor. Students may opt to write an MA Thesis (6 credits). Non-thesis students prepare a dossier of 2 major research papers or their equivalent to be evaluated by an examining committee.

Cognate Studies: Two courses (6 credits) from outside Jewish Studies in the discipline(s) related to the student's area of specialization.

Facilities and Special Resources

The University's libraries hold over 3,000,000 volumes and house among the strongest holdings in Judaic Studies in the Mid-Atlantic region. In addition to the outstanding holdings of the Library of Congress, the area also offers the specialized resources of the Dumbarton Oaks, the National Archives, the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and numerous other scholarly, cultural, and political resources. Through the Consortium of Institutions in the Washington D.C. area, University of Maryland graduate students may enroll in courses at other universities for graduate credit.

Financial Assistance

MA applicants are eligible for University-wide fellowships. In addition, the Jewish Studies program may award up to two fellowships per year to outstanding Masters students.

Limited funds may be available for outstanding certificate students.

Contact Information

For more information, please contact the Jewish Studies Program.

The Jewish Studies Program
0142 Holzapfel Hall College Park
MD 20742
Telephone: 301 405 4975
Fax: 301 405 8232
jwst@arhu.umd.edu

http://www.jewishstudies.umd.edu