Handbook for Education and Jewish Studies

• Welcome
• Getting Started: Information for Incoming Students
  • Activate your NetID
  • Activate your NYU Email
  • Obtain an NYU ID Card for Access to Campus Buildings and Services
  • Get Started on Albert
  • Prepare to Register
  • Advisement
  • Registration via Albert
  • General Tips about the Registration Process
• Each Year Before Classes Begin: Helpful Hints for Incoming and Continuing Students
• Nearing the Finish Line: Preparing for Your Career after Graduate School
• Education and Jewish Studies: Resources Just for Our Students
  • Website
  • PhD Steps
  • Listservs
  • Weekly Announcements
  • Events
• NYU Resources
• Contact

Welcome

Welcome to NYU's Graduate Programs in Education and Jewish Studies, housed in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, in affiliation with the Graduate School of Arts and Science's Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies. NYU offers exceptional training for researchers and practitioners in the field of Jewish education, and we are thrilled to welcome you to our community.

This handbook was designed with several purposes in mind. It begins by outlining the various steps that incoming students must follow to prepare for the start of their academic careers at NYU. Beyond that, it serves as a repository for a wealth of information about the programs. Whenever you have a question, this should be the first place you look. This handbook might contain the answer, and if not, it will likely direct you to the resource that does.

This handbook should be used in conjunction with the program's website, as well as Steinhardt's Handbook for Doctoral Study and more general Students Guide, both of which are available on the Forms and Publications website.

We hope you will find your experience at NYU to be enriching, stimulating, and rewarding, and we look forward to partnering with you throughout your academic journey.

Getting Started: Information for Incoming Students

Activate your NetID

Go to ITS Start and follow the prompts to get and activate your NetID and create a password. You must click on the top START button and have your University ID number (Nxxxxxxxx) on hand. Your University ID number was included in your acceptance letter from the Admissions Office.

Your NetID is a unique alphanumeric ID (e.g. xyz111) assigned to you by NYU’s Information Technology Services (ITS). NetIDs are an important aspect of our University-wide network services and security, which help ensure that you are properly authenticated when accessing NYU's networked computer resources.

Note: Visit the Information for New Students page on NYU’s Information Technology Services (ITS) web site for more detailed information, instructions, and assistance.

Activate your NYU Email

When followed by @nyu.edu, your NetID serves as your NYU e-mail address (as in xyz111@nyu.edu). NYU communicates frequently with you through your NYU e-mail, and will send e-mail ONLY to your NYU e-mail address once you matriculate. Therefore, you are required to activate your NYU e-mail and must check it regularly.

Once you have activated your NetID, you must visit NYUHome to activate your e-mail account. NYUHome is a customizable Web interface that provides access to many resources at NYU, including Blackboard, e-mail, and electronic databases.

Go to NYUHome and log in using your NetID and the password that you created. Once you are logged in, click on the e-mail link to bring up the Messenger Express web-based e-mail application.

You must use NYUHome and Messenger Express when you check your e-mail for the first time. Afterwards, you can choose to configure another e-mail application, such as Microsoft Outlook or Mozilla Thunderbird, to check your NYU e-mail account from work or home. Instructions are available here.

If you would like to create a personal alias, such as firstname.lastname@nyu.edu, you can find instructions on the ITS' NYU Email Addresses & Aliases page.

To find out how to forward your NYU e-mail to another e-mail account, see the ITS Information for NYU Students website. Please note that email forwarding is not fail-proof (especially with Gmail), so students who forward their email should also check NYUHome daily.

You should also explore the other features available on NYUHome using the tabs on the top of the screen.

Obtain an NYU ID Card for Access to Campus Buildings and Services

You may obtain an NYU ID card once you have registered for courses, and it is advisable to do this before the third week of August. To obtain a card, go to the NYU Card Services Office at 383 Lafayette Street (East 4th and Lafayette), and bring acceptable proof of identification, such as a driver’s license or passport. You can add Campus Cash to this card, which will allow you to make tax-free purchases at a number of local eateries. It also entitles you to discounts at various local businesses. (Note: the magnetic strip that lets you into buildings may not be activated until the first day of classes).

Visit the NYUCard page or call 212-443-CARD for updated office hours and to verify acceptable forms of identification.

Note: Your NetID and University ID (UID) are printed on the back of your ID card. However, you do not need to have your ID card in order to activate your NetID.

Get Started on Albert

Go to NYUHome and log in using your NetID and the password that you created. Once you are logged in, click on the “Academics” tab at the top of the screen to bring up the academic screen which has the “Albert Login” link on the left side.

Note: For security reasons, if you do not connect to Albert within the first 10 minutes of logging into NYUHome, you will have to log out of NYUHome and log in again.

Click on the “Albert Login” link to log in to Albert.

You should explore the various features included in Albert – you will find them useful throughout your academic career. You will use the Albert system to access your bursar’s account, financial aid status, contact information, and other important student record information.

You may log on to Albert again at any time through NYUHome with your NetID, provided you are matriculated and your bursar's account is in good standing.

Prepare to Register

PLEASE TAKE NOTE: As of the first day of classes, registration fees are NON-REFUNDABLE. Additionally, there is a diminishing refund schedule for dropped classes, meaning you will only get a reduced portion of the total cost of the credits as a refund. If you wish to add a course after the semester has begun, you must obtain permission from the instructor. For more information, see the refund schedule on the Bursar’s University Refund Policy website.  If you decide to swap a class at one time, even after the semester has started, there will be no associated fees. The drop/add must take place at the same time (they cannot happen on different days or in different weeks), and the credit value of each class must be the same.

Advisement

In order to determine which courses to take and when, you should begin by looking at the degree requirements and check sheets that apply to your particular academic program:

Information for MA students

Information for Dual MA students

Information for PhD students

We recommend that you complete core requirements at the beginning of your program so that you can choose specialized electives after you've developed your foundational knowledge and expertise.

Next, see which courses will be offered in the upcoming semester. Course listings for all of NYU are available at nyu.edu/registrar/listings. Keep in mind that you can take electives in other schools, such as Wagner and Tisch. Additionally, in order to fulfill a specific Area of Study, such as Teaching and Learning, you can take courses in other departments that seem like an interesting and logical fit. Be sure to get clearance from your advisor to ensure that you are on track to complete all of your requirements as stipulated in the course matrices and on the program website.

Make a list of courses you are interested in taking. It is easiest to simply copy and paste the entry from the registrar website so that you have all of the relevant information at your fingertips. Then, send a list of these courses to your academic advisors for approval. Although it is recommended to share your entire list with your advisors, the key contact for PhD Steinhardt courses is Professor Harold Wechsler, MA Steinhardt courses is Professor Ben Jacobs, and Skirball courses is Professor Bob Chazan. Your advisors are always available by appointment if you would like to discuss your course selections or more general academic progress in detail. Doctoral students should meet with Nancy Hall in the Office of Graduate Studies, especially as they move closer to the completion of their coursework, to ensure that they are fulfilling all of the various requirements and are on track to complete their degree.

Before you can register, you must get academic clearance. After you have secured advisor approval, please email the Assistant Director of Administration to let her know you have been advised and to request clearance to register. Additionally, some courses require unique registration codes. To get the code for the EJS doctoral seminar, please contact the Assistant Director of Administration. For other courses that require a code or instructor permission, please contact the professor or the department offering the class you wish to take.

You must register for all of your classes through the Steinhardt selection on Albert, regardless of where a particular course is housed at NYU.  Dual MA students should begin registering through the Graduate School of Arts and Science during the spring semester of their second year of study and continue registering through GSAS for the remainder of their academic program. 

Registration via Albert

NYU students register for courses using Albert, NYU’s online student information system. The Albert system requires you to log on to NYUHome using your NetID. Registration appointments are sent out via email well in advance of registration. They will indicate the date and time when you are eligible to begin registering for the following academic semester. Please register as early as possible so that you secure your space in classes before they fill up and close.

It is worth familiarizing yourself with the entire Registrar website, but in particular, please focus your attention on the following two pages:

• First, look at the General Registration Guidelines to get a sense of policies and procedures that can affect your registration.

• Next, refer to the Registering on Albert page for detailed information on Albert Terms and Procedures. You may find it helpful to print out these instructions and keep them with you as you register.

You may want to keep your list of selected courses in front of you as you register in order to simplify the registration process.

General Tips about the Registration Process

• Register Early: Some Steinhardt classes, especially required courses and seminars, close out soon after registration opens. The registrar’s academic calendar includes the registration schedule for each semester. It is a good idea to be cleared and online on the first day of registration if you wish to take a required or popular course.

• Auditing a Class:

  • Official: Auditing a class officially requires you to fill out a form from the Office of Student Affairs and to pay tuition and fees, just as you would for a class for which you receive a grade. The class will appear on your official transcript.

  • Unofficial: If you wish to attend a class for your own enrichment, you must obtain permission from the professor to do so. If you do not fill out the official audit form, you will not pay tuition and fees, and it will not appear on your official transcript.

• Overlaps: Albert does not permit you to register for courses with overlapping times. If you believe the overlap message is in error, please contact the departments that house the courses in question. They might be able to override the conflict if it only exists on paper.

• Number of Credits: At NYU Steinhardt, graduate students are considered full-time if they take 12-18 credits per semester.  Doctoral students in the Education and Jewish Studies program take four courses per semester.  Please note that different fellowships have different regulations about how many credits they will fund per semester.  Please refer to the Education and Jewish Studies website to determine exactly how many credits you will take to complete your program.  
  
  
  • If you are taking fewer than 12 credits, you might be eligible for Full Time Equivalency.  Please refer to the Steinhardt form to learn more about this option.  If you are a Dual MA student enrolled through GSAS, please contact the Skirball Department's Administrator to inquire about Full Time Equivalency.
    
    
  • If you are taking more than 12 credits, please get clearance from your faculty advisor.
    
    
• Transfer Credits: If you are transferring credits from another graduate program, please meet with your advisors to discuss the matter, and then fill out and submit the Graduate Transfer Credit form. It is in your best interest to take care of this early in your academic career.
  
  
• Waiving Credits: Doctoral students who have earned graduate degrees prior to beginning their doctorate at NYU are eligible to waive some credits.  Please refer to the specific exemption guidelines in the Degree Requirements section of the Doctoral Program webpage, and please take care of this during your first year of coursework.

• Independent Studies: Students who take independent studies should fill out a form to give the course a relevant title.  Forms are available through the HMSS administrative aide.
  
  
• Courses Outside of Department:  Students should check department websites or contact department staff personnel prior to registration to ascertain if an access code or manual registration by that department is necessary to enroll in a course or if there are pre- or co-requisites.  Many departments throughout Steinhardt and NYU will not allow you to register yourself without permission, so it is in your best interest to investigate this prior to the beginning of the registration period.  Also, please note that this information does not always appear on the Registrar's website, so it is always better to check with the department directly.
  
  
• Courses Outside of NYU: Doctoral students who are interested in taking coursework outside of NYU should refer to the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium website for information, a registration form, and instructions. If the institution is not part of the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium, the student should sign up for an independent study in Steinhardt and request the instructor to submit the grade to the NYU independent study advisor. Independent studies can be given a title by filling out a form in the department where the study is taken.
  
  
• Course Waitlists: If you put yourself on a waitlist for a course, please keep the following in mind: the waitlist is a computerized system. The next person on the waitlist is automatically enrolled when a space opens up in the course. No confirmation is sent, so you are responsible for checking your status on Albert to see if you’ve been enrolled. Adjust your schedule so that your enrollment in the waitlisted course does not take you above your maximum credit load. It is extremely important that you check to see if you are off the waitlist and in the course right before classes begin so that you can drop courses as needed before you miss the window for tuition refunds.

• Registration Blocks: Your registration may be blocked (i.e. administrative “stops” may be put on your record) for any of the following:

  • Academic issues (Steinhardt, GSAS)

  • Billing issues (Bursar’s Office)

  • Immunization Record Problems (Health Services)

Note: The “stops” feature on the Albert menu will tell you if you have any stops on your record. If you have an administrative stop, you must resolve the issue with the office that placed the block before you can register.

Each Year Before Classes Begin: Helpful Hints for Incoming and Continuing Students

The following is a list of administrative matters that all students should address before the beginning of each semester.

• Update your address on Albert, especially if you are relocating to New York to begin school or have moved. This is very important, as any mailings will be sent to the current local address recorded on Albert.

• Check Albert for updated course location and instructor information.  Find your classroom locations on NYU's Campus Map.

• Watch for emails from instructors about pre-class assignments, and check Blackboard on the Academics tab of NYUHome for additional course information. Do not worry if your course is not listed on Blackboard – some professors wait until after the semester beings to activate this feature; others choose not to use it at all.

• To determine your enrollment status in any courses for which you are waitlisted, check Albert prior to the beginning of the class (use the Registration tab).

• Find out which books you need to purchase for your courses. The NYU Bookstore, located at 726 Broadway) has a feature on its website that allows each student to access a personalized list.

• In addition, NYU's Student Health Center is a fantastic resource for students, so please take some time to explore their website to familiarize yourself with the many services they offer.
  
  
• Set up Direct Deposit for fellowship disbursements and other incidental payments to your account.
  
  

• Submit all necessary immunization and other health-related records and paperwork to the Student Health Center.

  • Note: Failure to comply with these regulations will result in an administrative stop that will block you from registering for future semesters. Please be sure to contact the Student Health Center directly, via the phone number below, if you have not received your forms.

  • If you do not submit your forms, the university may de-enroll you and prohibit you from entering any campus building or facility until compliance is confirmed.

  • For more information about the immunization requirements or to obtain the forms, please visit the Health Requirements for Students page or call 212-443-1199.

• Visit NYU's Student Health Insurance website to enroll in or waive coverage for the upcoming year and to learn more about the various plans that are available to you. The deadline falls before the start of the academic year, so make sure to take care of your insurance over the summer. You must enroll in or waive student health insurance on an annual basis. You will not be able to make changes after the school year commences.

• Take a moment to ensure that you are making satisfactory academic progress. NYU Steinhardt has a specific policy on this issue, which is explained here. Log in to Albert to make sure all of your grades have been posted, and if they have not, please follow up with the professor who should have submitted the grade. Please note that an Incomplete (I) will lapse into an F, an IF into an F, and an IP into an N.  Students are expected to make arrangements with faculty to complete any outstanding work, and per NYU Steinhardt's policy, grades must be submitted for incomplete work within six months of the end of the semester.  Changes of grade should be submitted by your professor to the Registrar, and please note that an explanatory memo will possibly be required for the Registar to approve the request.    Lack of academic progress can freeze funding or lead to your dismissal, so please be aware of your status.

• Check to see if any NYU computer labs have opened or closed so that you know where you will have computer and printer access around NYU’s campus. Hours sometimes change seasonally. This information is available on the ITS & Affiliated Computer Labs website. Additionally, please note that there is a lab in Kimball (246 Greene, Floor 3E), which you are welcome to use, but you will not be able to print in it.

• If you are a doctoral candidate, check in with the Research with Human Subjects (IRB) Office to find out if you need this type of approval and, if you do, to take the appropriate steps to prepare and process your application.

   

Nearing the Finish Line: Preparing for Your Career after Graduate School

We encourage you to take advantage of NYU’s career-focused resources, which will benefit you greatly as you finish your program and work to establish yourself professionally.

• You should discuss your career plans frequently with the EJS faculty and staff.

• Join relevant professional organizations, like AERA and the Network for Research in Jewish Education.

• Consider presenting your course papers and candidacy essay at a scholarly conference. The NRJE conference meets annually in early June.

• Then, submit your paper for publication. Try, for example, The Journal of Jewish Education.

• The Resources section of the Education and Jewish Studies website includes several great resources for Jewish job listings, namely JewishJobs.com and RAVSAK’s job bank. Also, do not overlook the job listings in general education publications, such as Education Week and Inside Higher Education.

• NYU offers excellent career and professional development services. Get to know the resources available at the Wasserman Center for Career Development, located at 133 E. 13th Street. Bring a copy of your CV for the counselors to critique.

   

Education and Jewish Studies: Resources Just for Our Students

In addition to the wide array of resources available to NYU students, the Graduate Programs in Education and Jewish Studies offer specialized support just for our programs.

Website

The Education and Jewish Studies website provides information about all of our programs, our people (students, alumni, faculty, and staff), and the field of Jewish education. The News section is updated regularly to highlight the achievements and contributions of our students and alumni, and the Resources page will help you find what you need to succeed in the programs and as a member of the broader NYU community. It also provides a number of links to organizations, blogs, and websites that will keep you up to date on what is happening in the field of Jewish education. We recommend that you visit often and let us know if you have additions or news you would like to share.

PhD Steps

Although Steinhardt provides a number of useful resources to guide doctoral students through their academic careers at NYU, there is a unique document just for Education and Jewish Studies students that outlines the steps in a very easy-to-follow format. Please access it here and refer to it often.

Listservs

All of our current students, faculty, and staff have access to our Current Students listserv, hmss-edjs@lists.nyu.edu, and this group, as well as alumni, has access to the Current Students and Alumni listserv, hmss-edjs-all@lists.nyu.edu. These lists provide an efficient way for us (faculty and staff) to share important information with you, but it is also a forum that you are encouraged to use for discussion and announcements of your own.

Please note that you can only send messages from the email address that receives the messages. If you get messages from the listservs at NetID@nyu.edu, it will not work if you try to email the listserv with another address.

Subscribe to our Listserv

Weekly Announcements

Every Thursday, you will receive an email from the Education and Jewish Studies programs containing announcements for the week. During the school year, students receive an exclusive email with school-related announcements, and students and alumni receive a separate email with congratulations, job listings, and other information that applies to the entire community. During the summer, due to a smaller number of announcements, everyone receives one email each week.

Please be sure to read these announcements carefully and to provide feedback and RSVPs where requested.

If you ever have information that you'd like to have included in the e-news, please email the Assistant Director of Administration.

Note: Although we try our best to limit our e-news to once each week, we will occasionally send announcements on other days that are time-sensitive.

Events

Students choose our programs because of NYU's excellent academic reputation, but we believe that your experience outside of the classroom is also a critical component of your experience here. Students in the MA and Dual MA programs spend a year working on a Capstone project, which enables them to apply their knowledge in a school or organization.

Additionally, we offer a variety of extra-curricular programs, often in conjunction with the Wagner/Skirball Program in Nonprofit Management (MPA) and Judaic Studies (MA). We invite distinguished speakers for lectures and lunches, we have parties for various holidays and other occasions, and we provide half-days of professional development that bring students to different organizations to meet with and learn from the leaders of those agencies. If there is a particular professional or organization to which you would like an introduction, please let us know. We are invested in your professional success.

If you have ideas about events you would like to experience or if you want to get involved in planning, please email the Assistant Director of Administration.

NYU Resources

The Resources page of the Education and Jewish Studies website contains a great deal of information that will help you achieve your academic goals. Please take some time to go through the alphabetized list of links under General NYU Resources as well as the Resources for Education and Jewish Studies, and refer to it throughout your time at NYU. Whenever you have a question, this is the best place to start looking for an answer.

Contact

The administration for the Education and Jewish Studies programs is housed in Kimball Hall, 246 Greene Street, on Floor 3E. Up to date contact information for all of our faculty and staff is available on the Faculty & Staff section of our website. Additionally, our email address for more general inquiries is steinhardt.skirball@nyu.edu.

Created July 2010