Graduate Programs

The Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies offers programs leading to the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees.

• Doctoral students earn a master's degree in the course of their studies.
• Students may also complete a specific series of courses in Hebrew and Judaic studies and museum studies, qualifying for a master's degree with concentration in museum studies.
• A dual degree program offered jointly with the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service provides opportunities for students to earn an M.P.A. in public and nonprofit management policy and a master's degree in Hebrew and Judaic studies.
• A joint program in Hebrew and Judaic studies and history enables outstanding students to pursue a doctoral degree in the two departments simultaneously.
• The Skirball Department cooperates in the Program in Education and Jewish Studies of the Steinhardt School of Education.
• A dual M.A. Degree in Judaic Studies and Library Science provides a student with two Master's derees, an M.A. from the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) at NYU and an M.S.L.I.S. from The Palmer School, from Long Island University.
• The Department is also closely affiliated with the program in Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian Studies.
• NYU Law School now offers a M.S.L. (Masters of Study in Law) in Law and Jewish Civilization.
  

The department's primary purpose is to train scholars in the areas of Jewish literature, religion, history, and thought who have mastered both a body of knowledge relating specifically to Jewish studies and the canons and practices of a general academic discipline. Courses are offered in biblical studies; postbiblical and Talmudic literature; medieval and modern Hebrew literature; history of the Jews in the ancient, medieval, and modern periods; Jewish philosophy, religious expression, and mysticism; Israel studies; and related fields. Many courses involve the reading of Hebrew texts, and some are conducted in Hebrew. Students are also required to take courses in at least one general disciplinary department. Students structure individual programs according to their areas of interest.

The department sponsors lectures and colloquia on current research in Jewish civilization, often in collaboration with the Departments of History, English, and Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies; the Programs in Religious Studies, Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and Near Eastern Studies; and the Center for Ancient Studies. The Taub Center for Israel Studies and the Goldstein-Goren Center for American Jewish History are also housed in the Skirball Department. Course offerings are frequently augmented by outstanding visiting scholars from Israel.

The department benefits from the extensive Hebraica and Judaica holdings of the New York University libraries and from cooperative arrangements with Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. In addition, the Center for Jewish History, housing the libraries and archives of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the Leo Baeck Institute, and the American Jewish Historical Society, is located near the NYU campus.

The city of New York is an ideal setting for Judaic studies, with a range of academic and cultural resources.