Jump To:  Graduate Search  >  Institution  >  College/School      

My Saved Schools  |  Print

School Web Site	Program Information	Research
Apply Now	Faculty	PhD Programs
News and Events

Detailed Information

Programs of Study

The Graduate School offers the most comprehensive program of advanced Jewish studies available in North America. Through specialized courses of study, students prepare to pursue careers in academia, Jewish art, or communal leadership. Programs of study leading to the M.A. and doctoral (D.H.L. and Ph.D.) degrees are offered in the following fields except as noted: ancient Judaism, Bible and ancient Semitic languages, interdepartmental studies (M.A. only), Jewish art and visual culture (M.A. only), Jewish history, Jewish literature, Jewish thought, Jewish women’s studies (M.A. only), liturgy, medieval Jewish studies, midrash and scriptural interpretation, modern Jewish studies, and Talmud and Rabbinics. In addition, The Graduate School offers dual-degree programs with the Columbia University School of Social Work leading to the M.A./M.S.S.W. degrees and with Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs leading to the M.A./M.P.A. degrees to prepare students to enter the field of communal service.

Research Facilities

The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary houses the most complete collection of Judaica in the Western Hemisphere. With more than 380,000 volumes on open shelves, it is ideally suited for the research needs of graduate students. The Library’s special collection, with more than 30,000 items, affords ample opportunities for original scholarship. Students also benefit from the library resources of neighboring Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary. M.A. and Ph.D. students also have access to the courses and facilities of several universities through a special consortial agreement.

Financial Aid

Financial aid based on need is available to U.S. and Canadian matriculated M.A. students in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans. There are also competitive merit awards available for outstanding M.A. candidates who apply by March 1. Moreover, some M.A. programs offer their own designated merit fellowships. Prospective Ph.D. students who complete their applications by January 2 are automatically considered for merit-based, five-year fellowships consisting of tuition, an annual stipend, pedagogic training, health insurance, and other benefits. Advanced doctoral students may be awarded teaching assistantships. Students may obtain information and applications for need-based aid from the Office of Financial Aid, 100 Schiff Building (212-678-8007; financialaid@jtsa.edu).

Cost of Study

For the 2008–09 academic year, tuition is $26,600 for full-time Ph.D. study and $21,200 for full-time M.A. study. Part-time students are charged $1000 per credit. In addition to tuition, a fee of $400 is charged per semester.

Living and Housing Costs

Residence hall rooms are available to single students at a cost of approximately $8800 to $9800 per academic year. Apartments of various sizes and costs are also available to married students. The housing application deadline for all new students entering the following fall semester is May 15. For more information, prospective students should contact the Office of Residence Life (212-678-8035; reslife@jtsa.edu).

Student Group

The Graduate School enrolled 175 students in fall 2008. Fifty-five percent of the students are women, and approximately 65 percent of all students receive financial aid.

Location

JTS is located on the vibrant Upper West Side of New York City. Its proximity to Columbia University, Teachers College, Union Theological Seminary, and the Manhattan School of Music puts The Graduate School in the heart of a dynamic academic community. Students are encouraged to explore the wealth of cultural activities New York City offers–from music and dance at Lincoln Center to theater on and off Broadway, from art at the Metropolitan and Whitney museums to the galleries in Chelsea and Williamsburg.

The Seminary

The Jewish Theological Seminary is a premier academic center consisting of five schools and a world-renowned library. Students flourish in an intellectual environment of warmth and creativity located in the heart of New York City’s vibrant Jewish community. Academic departments of unparalleled range and depth offer a rich selection of courses in nearly every field of Judaic studies. Founded in 1886, its original mission was to preserve the knowledge and practice of Conservative Judaism. That mission has blossomed and expanded, and today JTS is a prestigious hub of Jewish learning. JTS grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through its schools; offers enriching programs for the Jewish community in the United States, Israel, and around the world; and enriches Jewish academic scholarship with its Hebraic and Judaic collection housed in The Library, the Western Hemisphere’s most significant and outstanding repository of texts from the tenth century to the present.

Applying

Application for admission to degree programs should be made as early as possible. Although applications are accepted and reviewed all year, The Graduate School sets deadlines for those who wish to receive fellowship consideration (January 2 for Ph.D. applicants and March 1 for M.A. applicants). Ph.D. applicants must submit a $50 application fee; official college transcripts; three letters of academic reference; GRE or MAT scores; and a sample of academic research in the field of study, written in English. M.A. applicants must submit a $50 application fee; official college transcripts; three letters of reference, at least two of which must be academic; GRE or MAT scores; and a sample of written English. Applicants whose native language is other than English and who have not been educated at a college where English is the language of instruction should submit official scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in lieu of the GRE or MAT. A minimum TOEFL score of 100 (Internet-based) is required. The Graduate School may also require nonnative English speakers to demonstrate oral/aural English proficiency; for details, students should contact the Admissions Office. For M.A. and doctoral programs, an interview with a members of the admissions committee and/or the department chair is recommended and may be required. Ph.D. candidates may begin their studies in the fall only, whereas M.A. candidates enter The Graduate School in either the fall or the spring. Students who wish to attend The Graduate School on a nonmatriculated basis may do so by submitting a nonmatriculated status application form, accompanied by a $35 application fee and an official college transcript indicating receipt of a B.A. degree. The Graduate School accepts nonmatriculated applications until one month prior to either the fall or spring semester. Two summer sessions are also available. The Graduate School is open to all men and women without regard to age, race, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin.

The Faculty

• Arnold Eisen, Chancellor.
• Michael B. Greenbaum, Vice Chancellor.
• Alan M. Cooper, Provost.
• Stephen Garfinkel, Dean of The Graduate School and Dean of Academic Affairs.
• Ancient Judaism Program
• Stephen A. Geller, Professor.
• Richard Kalmin, Professor and Program Adviser (fall 2008).
• Seth Schwartz, Professor and Program Adviser (spring 2009).
• Department of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages
• Alan M. Cooper, Professor.
• Stephen A. Geller, Professor.
• David Marcus, Professor.
• Benjamin Sommer, Professor.
• Robert Alan Harris, Associate Professor and Chair.
• Stephen Garfinkel, Assistant Professor.
• Walter Herzberg, Assistant Professor.
• Amy Kalmanofsky, Assistant Professor.
• Sharon Keller, Assistant Professor.
• David Sperling, Adjunct Professor.
• Elizabeth Bloch-Smith, Adjunct Associate Professor.
• Miles Cohen, Adjunct Lecturer.
• Department of Hebrew Language
• Joel Roth, Chair.
• Edna Nahshon, Associate Professor.
• Nitza Krohn, Senior Lecturer.
• Sarah Pelee, Lecturer.
• Allon Pratt, Lecturer.
• Shlomit Shraybom-Shivtiel, Adjunct Assistant Professor.
• Interdepartmental Studies Program
• Neil Danzig, Professor.
• Edna Nahshon, Associate Professor.
• Eitan Fishbane, Assistant Professor.
• Maud Kozodoy, Assistant Professor and Program Adviser.
• Jewish Art and Visual Culture Program
• Vivian B. Mann, Adjunct Professor and Program Adviser.
• Susan Chevlowe, Adjunct Assistant Professor.
• Department of Jewish History
• Daphna Canetti-Nisim, Schusterman Professor of Israel Studies.
• David Fishman, Professor.
• Ismar Schorsch, Professor.
• Seth Schwartz, Professor.
• Jack Wertheimer, Professor.
• Benjamin R. Gampel, Associate Professor and Chair.
• Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Associate Professor.
• Stefanie Siegmund, Associate Professor.
• Michael Stanislawski, Adjunct Professor.
• Department of Jewish Literature
• Alan Mintz, Professor and Chair (fall 2008).
• David G. Roskies, Professor.
• Raymond P. Scheindlin, Professor.
• Barbara Mann, Associate Professor and Chair (spring 2009).
• Debra Reed Blank, Assistant Professor.
• Jeffrey Hoffman, Assistant Professor.
• Maud Kozodoy, Assistant Professor.
• Anne Lapidus Lerner, Assistant Professor.
• Kenneth Berger, Adjunct Assistant Professor.
• Department of Jewish Thought
• Arnold Eisen, Professor.
• Neil Gillman, Professor.
• Alan Mittleman, Professor and Chair.
• Eitan Fishbane, Assistant Professor.
• Leonard Levin, Assistant Professor.
• Richard Cohen, Adjunct Professor.
• Alfredo Borodowski, Adjunct Assistant Professor.
• Gordon Tucker, Adjunct Assistant Professor.
• Jewish Professional Leadership: Jewish Studies and Social Work; Jewish Studies and Public Administration
• Mayer Rabinowitz, Professor.
• Aryeh Davidson, Assistant Professor.
• Anne Lapidus Lerner, Assistant Professor.
• Ilene Scholnick, Program Adviser.
• Jewish Women’s Studies Program
• David C. Kraemer, Professor.
• Stefanie Siegmund, Associate Professor and Program Adviser.
• Barbara Mann, Associate Professor.
• Anne Lapidus Lerner, Assistant Professor and Program Adviser.
• Liturgy Program
• Alan Mintz, Professor.
• Raymond P. Scheindlin, Professor.
• Eliezer Diamond, Associate Professor.
• Boaz Tarsi, Associate Professor and Program Adviser.
• Jeffrey Hoffman, Assistant Professor.
• Medieval Jewish Studies Program
• Raymond P. Scheindlin, Professor and Program Adviser (spring 2009).
• Benjamin R. Gampel, Associate Professor and Program Adviser (fall 2008).
• Robert Harris, Associate Professor.
• Eitan Fishbane, Assistant Professor.
• Evyatar Marienberg, Assistant Professor.
• Midrash and Scriptural Interpretation Program
• Alan M. Cooper, Professor.
• Judith Hauptman, Professor.
• David C. Kraemer, Professor.
• Burton L. Visotzky, Professor and Program Adviser.
• Robert Harris, Associate Professor.
• Rachel Mikva, Assistant Professor.
• Modern Jewish Studies Program
• David Fishman, Professor and Program Adviser.
• Alan Mintz, Professor.
• David G. Roskies, Professor and Program Adviser.
• Barbara Mann, Associate Professor.
• Department of Talmud and Rabbinics
• Neil Danzig, Professor.
• Israel Francus, Professor.
• Shamma Friedman, Professor.
• Judith Hauptman, Professor and Chair.
• Richard Kalmin, Professor.
• David C. Kraemer, Professor.
• Joel Roth, Professor.
• Burton L. Visotzky, Professor.
• Eliezer Diamond, Associate Professor.
• Mayer E. Rabinowitz, Associate Professor.
• Beth Berkowitz, Assistant Professor.
• Marjorie Lehman, Assistant Professor.
• Evyatar Marienberg, Assistant Professor.
• Jonathan Milgram, Assistant Professor.
• Jay Rovner, Adjunct Assistant Professor.

Correspondence and Information

The Jewish Theological Seminary
The Graduate School
3080 Broadway
Box 74
New York, New York 10027-4649
Telephone: 212-678-8022
Fax: 212-280-6022
Email: gradschool@jtsa.edu