Judaic Studies MA

Admission Requirements

BA or equivalent with high standing in Judaic Studies, Religious Studies, or a discipline in the Social Sciences, Humanities, or Fine Arts.
Proficiency in English. Applicants whose primary language is not English must demonstrate that their knowledge of English is sufficient to pursue graduate studies in their chosen field. Please refer to the English language proficiency page for further information on requirements and exemptions.

Additional Admission Requirements

Options. Students are admitted to the Guided Research Paper (GRP) option but can be exceptionally admitted directly to the thesis option. To enter the thesis option, students must normally have completed RELI 6001, 9 credits of electives, and Research Preparation I and Research Preparation II. In addition, students must have achieved a minimum GPA of 3.70 or equivalent.

Qualifying program. Applicants with deficiencies in their undergraduate preparation may be required to take a qualifying program. Qualifying program students in the Department of Religions and Cultures must complete their program with a minimum GPA of 3.50 with no courses graded lower than a B+ to be considered for admission to the graduate program.

Transfer Credits. See Transfer Credits in Graduate Admissions section.

Degree Requirements

Fully-qualified candidates are required to complete a minimum of 45 credits.

All students must take RELI 6001 Method and Theory in the Study of Religion.

Please see the Religions and Cultures Courses page for course descriptions.

Judaic Studies Master of Arts (45 credits)

credits of Core Course:

• RELI 6001 Method and Theory in the Study of Religion (3.00)

credits chosen from:

MA (Judaic Studies) with Guided Research Paper Option

MA (Judaic Studies) with Thesis Option

MA (Judaic Studies) with Guided Research Paper Option (42 credits)

15	credits of Elective Courses chosen from:‌ Topics in Judaic Studies (MA)‌ Topics in Religions and Cultures (MA)‌ Normally students may not take more than two 3-credit courses outside the Department.
6	credits: • RELI 6042 Research Preparation I (Judaic Studies) (3.00) ‌ • RELI 6043 Research Preparation II (Judaic Studies) (3.00) ‌
3	credits: • RELI 6044 Guided Research Paper Proposal (Judaic Studies) (3.00) ‌
18	credits: • RELI 6045 Guided Research Paper I (Judaic Studies) (9.00) ‌ • RELI 6046 Guided Research Paper II (Judaic Studies) (9.00) ‌

MA (Judaic Studies) with Thesis Option (42 credits)

9	credits of Elective Courses chosen from: Topics in Judaic Studies (MA) Topics in Religions and Cultures (MA) Normally students may not take more than one 3-credit course outside the Department.
6	credits: • RELI 6042 Research Preparation I (Judaic Studies) (3.00) • RELI 6043 Research Preparation II (Judaic Studies) (3.00)
3	credits: • RELI 6050 Thesis Proposal (Judaic Studies) (3.00)
24	credits: • RELI 6052 Thesis (Judaic Studies) (30.00)

Additional Degree Requirements

Language Requirement. Normally, students acquire knowledge of Hebrew or another Jewish language either before or during the program. Students who intend to pursue graduate studies at the PhD level are especially encouraged to gain proficiency in the language or languages of the primary sources relevant to their proposed research.

Academic Regulations

Academic Standing. Please refer to the Academic Standing section of the Calendar for a detailed review of the Academic Regulations.
Residence. The minimum residence requirement is 3 terms of full-time study, or the equivalent in part-time study.
Time Limit. Please refer to the Academic Regulations page for further details regarding the Time Limits.
Graduation Requirement. In order to graduate, students must have satisfied all degree requirements and have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.70.