Jewish Studies (JWST)

Graduate Degree Program
College: Arts and Humanities

Abstract

The Jewish Studies Program offers both a Masters Degree in Jewish Studies, and a Graduate Certificate in Jewish Studies.

The Masters Program in Jewish Studies is designed to offer students broad, interdisciplinary, graduate-level training in Jewish Studies, as well as in-depth focus on some aspect of the Jewish experience. The curriculum draws on the strengths of the Jewish Studies Program at Maryland, especially Jewish History, Bible, Jewish Literature and Cultural Studies (particularly in the ancient and modern periods), Yiddish, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Israel Studies. In addition, students take courses in cognate fields outside of Jewish Studies in consultation with their advisors. The extremely strong, and still growing, library collection (rivaled in the mid-Atlantic region only by the Library of Congress), and our proximity to the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and other museums and institutions make the University a prime location for graduate Jewish Studies.

The Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Jewish Studies offers students already enrolled in graduate programs at the University to receive training in Jewish Studies. The program draws on faculty in History, English, Philosophy, Hebrew, and other departments and programs.

Financial Assistance

MA applicants are eligible for University-wide fellowships. In addition, the Jewish Studies program may award up to two fellowships per year to outstanding Masters students.

Limited funds may be available for outstanding certificate students.

For more information, please contact the Prof. Charles Manekin, Director of the Meyerhoff Center and Program for Jewish Studies.

Contact

The Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Program and Center for Jewish Studies
4141 Susquehanna Hall
4200 Lehigh Road
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.4975
Fax: 301.405.8232
Email: jwst-contact@umd.edu

Website: http://www.jewishstudies.umd.edu

Courses: JWST

General Requirements

Program-Specific Requirements

  • Letters of Recommendation (3)
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (optional)
  • Publications/Presentations
  • Writing Sample 

For more admissions information or to apply to the program, please visit our Graduate School website: www.gradschool.umd.edu/admissions

Application Deadlines

Type of Applicant Fall Deadline Spring Deadline
Domestic Applicants
US Citizens and Permanent Residents January 10, 2023 October 25, 2022
International Applicants
F (student) or J (exchange visitor) visas; A, E, G, H, I and L visas and immigrants January 10, 2023 September 28, 2022

Other Deadlines: Please visit the program website at http://www.jewishstudies.umd.edu

The University’s libraries hold over 3,000,000 volumes and house among the strongest holdings in Judaic Studies in the Mid-Atlantic region. In addition to the outstanding holdings of the Library of Congress, the area also offers the specialized resources of the Dumbarton Oaks, the National Archives, the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and numerous other scholarly, cultural, and political resources. Through the Consortium of Institutions in the Washington D.C. area, University of Maryland graduate students may enroll in courses at other universities for graduate credit.

Last Name First/Middle Name Graduate Faculty Status Academic Credentials Positions
Berlin Adele Full Member B.A. University of Pennsylvania, 1964; Ph.D. 1976. Professor Emerita, English Language and Literature
Professor Emerita, Jewish Studies
Borrut Antoine Full Member PhD, La Sorbonne, 2007 Associate Professor, History
Affiliate Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Cooperman Bernard Dov Full Member B.A., University of Toronto, 1968; M.A., Brandeis University, 1969; M.A., Harvard University, 1972; Ph.D., 1976. Associate Professor, History
Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Felbain Leslie Full Member B.S., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1975. Affiliate Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Affiliate Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Fox Nathan A. Full Member A.B., Williams College, 1970; Ph.D., Harvard University, 1975. Distinguished University Professor, Human Development
Professor, Neurosciences and Cognitive Science
Affiliate Professor, Jewish Studies
Freidenberg Judith N. Full Member Ph.D., City University of New York, 1978 ; M.A. University of Buenos Aires, 1969 Professor Emerita, Anthropology
Affiliate Associate Professor, American Studies
Affiliate Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Glass James M. Full Member B.A., University of California-Berkeley, 1961; M.A., 1964; Ph.D., 1970. Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, Government and Politics
Professor, Government and Politics
Affiliate Professor, Jewish Studies
Grossman Maxine Full Member A.B., Duke University, 1990; M.A., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 2000. Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Affiliate Associate Professor, Women's Studies
Hazkani Shay Full Member Assistant Professor, Jewish Studies
Igel Regina Full Member M.A., State University of Iowa, 1969; Ph.D., University of New Mexico, 1973. Professor, Spanish Language and Literature
Professor Emerita, Spanish Language and Literature
Affiliate Professor, Jewish Studies
Jelen Sheila Full Member B.A. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, 1993; Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley, 2001. Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Lapin Hayim Full Member B.A., Columbia University, 1986; B.A., Jewish Theological Seminary, 1987; M.A.,1987; Ph.D., Columbia University, 1994. Professor, History
Professor, Jewish Studies
Mahalel Adi Adjunct Member M.A., Columbia University, 2010; M.Phil., Columbia University, 2011. B.A., University of Haifa, 2007. Visiting Assistant Professor, Jewish Studies
Manekin Charles H. Full Member B.A., Yale University, 1975; M.A.,Columbia University, 1979; Ph.D., 1984. Chair, Jewish Studies
Professor, Jewish Studies
Professor Emeritus, Philosophy
Manekin Rachel Full Member B.A., Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Israel, 1982; M.A., University of Maryland - College Park, 1992; Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Israel, 2001. Assistant Professor, Jewish Studies
Rozenblit Marsha L. Full Member B.A.,Barnard College, 1971; M.A., Columbia University, 1974; Ph.D., 1980. Professor, History
Professor, Jewish Studies
Sosnowski Saul Full Member B.A., University of Scranton, 1967; M.A.,University of Virginia, 1968; Ph.D., 1970. Professor, Spanish Language and Literature
Affiliate Professor, Jewish Studies
Telhami Shibley Full Member B.A.,City University of New York-Queens College, 1974; M.A.,Graduate Theological Union, 1978; Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley,1986. Professor, Government and Politics
Affiliate Professor, Jewish Studies
Wien Peter Full Member DPhil, Universität Bonn, 2003 Professor, History
Affiliate Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Zakim Eric S. Full Member B.A., Oberlin College, 1982; M.A. University of California-Berkeley, 1989; Ph.D., 1996. Associate Professor, Jewish Studies
Associate Professor, Comparative Literature
Zilfi Madeline C. Full Member B.A., Mount Holyoke College, 1964; M.A.,University of Chicago, 1971; Ph.D., 1976. Professor, History
Affiliate Professor, Jewish Studies
Affiliate Professor, Women's Studies