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Department of Jewish Studies

Master of Arts Degree

The Department of Jewish Studies offers a master of arts degree through the Graduate Department of Religion, a division of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University.

The master’s degree in Jewish studies is intended for students who wish to end their formal education in the field at the M.A. level, as well as those who wish to pursue a doctoral degree in Jewish studies at another institution. Students in the program will deepen their preparation in Jewish studies and strengthen their credentials for application to Ph.D. programs.

Prerequisites

  • Knowledge of intermediate biblical or modern Hebrew. In place of this, students may substitute one of the following languages of the Jewish people: Rabbinic Hebrew, Aramaic, Yiddish, Ladino, or Judaeo-Arabic.
  • A broad background in Jewish history and civilization.

Requirements

The M.A. degree requires 30 credit hours and may be pursued via interdisciplinary coursework in the humanities and social sciences. Credit hours are distributed as follows:

Focus Courses – 18 credit hours

  • Graduate-level courses with a minimum of three courses from one of the following areas of study. Two courses must be text-centered, with a minimum of one course from each of the other two subfields.
    • Area 1: Biblical Studies
    • Area 2: Antiquity and the Medieval World
    • Area 3: Modern and Contemporary Experience
    • Area 4: Culture, Philosophy, and Literature

Minor – 6 credit hours

  • Selected from any course offered by the Graduate Department of Religion (REL) or graduate field of studies and designed to complement the student’s area of specialty or methodology.
  • Courses other than REL are offered through the College of Arts and Science and require the completion of the Request for Permission to Receive Graduate Credit for an Undergraduate Level or Professional Course form. Students must submit one form per course, signed by all appropriate parties, and return it to the Jewish studies office no later than the 10th day of classes.

Thesis (no credit)

One modern foreign language (Graduate Department of Religion requirement)

Application

Application for the M.A. degree is completed through the Graduate Department of Religion. Applications are due by December 1.