Doctoral Program
- Description
- Ph.D. in Education and Jewish Studies
- Admission Requirements
- Application Deadlines
- Financial Aid
- Career Options
- Resources at NYU
Description
The Ph.D. program in Education and Jewish Studies at NYU Steinhardt prepares researchers and practitioners for leadership positions in a wide range of Jewish educational settings, such as schools, informal education programs, community organizations, curriculum agencies, foundations, and universities. Students benefit from the rich resources and course offerings of The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies in the Graduate School of Arts and Science. While providing a core of academic, research, and cohort experiences in education, Jewish education, and Judaic studies, the program is also tailored to its students' individual needs and interests. Close and personalized mentoring is provided by faculty from the School of Education and the Skirball Department, as well as by expert practitioners in the field of Jewish education working in the New York City area. Established in 2001, the Ph.D. program in Education and Jewish Studies at NYU is the first of its kind to be offered at a major research university in the United States.
Ph.D. in Education and Jewish Studies
Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. program in Education and Jewish Studies is conceptualized in terms of three sets of academic experiences:
• courses in The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (42 credits), which include a combination of foundational courses, research courses, specialization courses, and cognate courses appropriate to the individual student's particular career interests and needs (see "Career Options" below).
• courses in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies (24 credits), including core courses in Judaic studies and specialization electives covering a wide range of Jewish history and tradition. Students are also required to demonstrate advanced Hebrew language competence in an exam administered by the department.
• the Education and Jewish Studies cohort component of the program (12 points), which involves a two-year seminar focused on issues in Jewish education.
Students entering with a B.A. must complete the entire 78 points of course work. Graduate study in education, Judaic studies, Jewish education, or allied subjects, completed at an accredited institution, may be presented for consideration of exemption from certain course work. This may reduce the total number of points required for the degree, as follows:
• Students entering with an M.A. in education may be exempted from up to two courses in education, reducing the total degree to 72 points.
• Students entering with an M.A. in Jewish studies may be exempted from up to 21 points of Judaic Studies course work, reducing the total degree to 57 points.
• Students entering with a M.A. in Jewish education may be exempted from up to two courses in education and four courses in Judaic Studies, reducing the total degree to 60 points.
• Students entering with an M.A. in a field other than education, Jewish studies, or Jewish education, may be exempted from up to two courses of equivalent and relevant course work, reducing the total degree to 72 points.
The program culminates in a doctoral dissertation on a substantive topic in Jewish education.
See a detailed description of steps to the Ph.D.
Admission Requirements
Students interested in the Ph.D. program in Education and Jewish Studies should exhibit outstanding personal qualities and excellent academic training. Candidates must also have a minimum of two-years employment experience in education, Jewish education, or Jewish communal service. An M.A. degree in either education or Jewish studies is useful, but not required.
The completed Education and Jewish Studies admissions application package must include (1) The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development admissions application form (program code: EJST), (2) a curriculum vitae, (3) GRE score report, (4) transcripts, (5) a personal statement, (6) a statement of your research interests, and (7) three letters of recommendation. Applicants should specify in their admissions essays their intended area of specialization in education: Administration, Teaching and Learning, or Humanities and Social Sciences. All applicant finalists are interviewed by the program faculty.
Learn more about admissions at Steinhardt.
Application Deadlines
Application due December 15: This program accepts candidates for fall entry only.
Financial Aid
All applicants for doctoral study are considered for the merit-based Steinhardt Fellowship in Education and Jewish Studies. This fellowship provides up to three years of full-time tuition support and a living stipend. All applicants are also automatically considered for the Jim Joseph Foundation Fellowship. This fellowship provides generous tuition and stipend support over a five-year period of study. Both fellowships support the preparation of the next generation of leaders and scholars in education and Jewish studies. The Jim Joseph Foundation, located in San Francisco, is devoted exclusively to the education of Jewish youth.
Visit the Steinhardt graduate financial aid section for more information. All students seeking financial aid must file a FAFSA.
Applicants are encouraged to apply for external funding from all possible sources, including the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholarship.
Career Options
The Ph.D. program in Education and Jewish Studies prepares three groups of potential leaders in Jewish education:
• Educational Administration and Policymaking: Students take their specialized education courses in the Department of Administration, Leadership and Technology.
• Curriculum Research and Development: Students take their specialized education courses in the Department of Teaching and Learning.
• Academic Research: Students take their specialized education courses in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Professions.
Job prospects for students in the field of Jewish education include: administrator or teacher at a Jewish day or supplementary school; official at a bureau of Jewish education, or a national or local Jewish education organization; professor of Jewish education at a seminary, college of Jewish studies, or university; researcher in Jewish education at a foundation or communal service organization; director of a Jewish informal education program; director of a Jewish adult education program; curriculum developer, designer of instructional materials, and/or author of textbooks for Jewish educational settings; staff developer; and educational consultant.
Resources at NYU
The Libraries of New York University hold more than four million volumes, almost five million microforms, 500,000 government documents, 80,000 sound and video recordings and a wide range of electronic resources. The library subscribes to the key journals in the field, such as Jewish Education. The library also maintains extensive reference collections in Judaica and in education. Online Judaic resources available to NYU students include the Index to Jewish Periodicals and RAMBI. Online educational resources acquired by NYU include Education Full-Text, Education Index, and ERIC. Online social scientific databases include JSTOR, WorldCat, Project Muse, and ProQuest. Subject librarians in education and in Judaic studies support the program's curriculum, and routinely purchase relevant books for the library's permanent collection. For a list of on-line resources available to NYU students, click here: New York City houses many specialized libraries, including the Judaica collection at the New York Public Library, the research collections at the Center for Jewish History, and the libraries at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, Yeshiva University, and the Hebrew Union College. The Center for Jewish History is located within walking distance of the campus, and the Hebrew Union College library is contiguous to NYU. Students in Steinhardt's Department of Humanities and Social Sciences have access to all university computer facilities, including a dedicated computer bank located in the department suite.