Building on Hebrew College’s long-standing tradition of training outstanding Jewish educators, the Master of Jewish Education Program offers a comprehensive curriculum that combines leadership for learning, pedagogic
application, and social and spiritual learning; supervised field experience; and an opportunity to become an iCenter Fellow for the teaching of Israel.
This Master of Jewish Education degree is ideal for educators with a passion for Jewish education, a commitment to teach students of diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and abilities, and a desire to strengthen Jewish community.
ages For Jewish educators who want to transform their educational practice, at any point in their career.
location Courses are online, combining synchronous meetings with asynchronous work and assignments.
duration As few as 6 semesters. Financial aid available including scholarships for mid-career Jewish educators.
We’re excited to offer new opportunities for Jewish educators to take the lead in their own professional growth. From graduate-level certificates to a masters degree, our courses will provide students with a deep understanding of Jewish spiritual development while cultivating skills as an instructional leader — all using Hebrew College’s signature pluralistic lens.
Program Overview
Through this flexible, part-time online advanced degree MJEd program, you will gain a deep understanding of theories and practices in the field of Jewish education through a pluralistic lens. You will gain new understandings of key content areas as well acquire practical experience in a well-supervised field experience placement in your home community. In our progressive educational program, you will gain insight into both current and emerging trends in the field of Jewish education and you will have the skills and capacities to apply this new knowledge in your own setting, all while continuing to cultivate your stance of excellence in Jewish education.
MJED Fast Facts
A flexible three year, part-time program designed for Jewish educators working in Jewish settings who want to transform their practice. Complete your degree in the comfort of your home through our award-winning online courses—without sacrificing the personal attention you’ve come to expect from Hebrew College. Note: Hebrew College also offers the MJEd in conjunction with rabbinical or cantorial ordination.
Courses are online, combining synchronous meetings with asynchronous work and assignments. Join a dynamic community of students from across the country and around the world in an interactive virtual classroom with Hebrew College faculty. Use our Schoology online learning platform to learn with ease and comfort and build a personal relationship with your faculty adviser who will serve as your mentor and guide. Hebrew College has been recognized nationally for its online learning programs, and our faculty have been teaching in the online environment for more than a decade.
A specialized focus on Jewish Spiritual Education, Jewish Educational Leadership, and Emerging Trends in Jewish Education.
A program designed for Jewish leadership and learning for a pluralistic world.
Year-long field experience in your home community. Current teaching may count toward your field experience.
Faculty advisor to guide you throughout the program.
No Hebrew language prerequisite for admission. Hebrew courses may be taken before or during the program. Students are expected to pass a Hebrew assessment by the time they graduate, and those who wish to be exempt may request to take a Hebrew assessment upon entering the program.
Earn a Graduate Level Certificate in one of the following areas: Certificate in Jewish Educational Leadership, Certificate in Jewish Spiritual Education
Certificate in Teaching and Learning, Certificate in Emerging Trends in Jewish Education.
Generous midcareer fellowships available. Prospective students who have (1) completed an undergraduate degree at least five years ago (2) served the Jewish community professionally for a minimum of three years and (3) work in a Jewish institution for a minimum of 15 hours/week while pursuing their degree may be eligible for up to 25 percent off tuition.
More Opportunities for Professional Growth
We are pleased to offer three other paths for your professional growth, whether you are ready to pursue a MJED or not:
Marcy Goldberg: Director of Education at Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks, CA
I think there’s a reason that I only hire assistant directors who have master’s degrees. For me, it’s that they’ve chosen this and they see Jewish education as a calling. They recognize the importance of it and it’s not just something they want to do for a year or two. They want to be trained. They want to learn what it means to be a full Jewish educator. It’s not just running a school. It’s teaching Torah, it’s taking care of everything that’s extracurricular—they need to have a real basic understanding of everything. Then they can move from there.
Degree Requirements
Successful completion of Hebrew assessment and completion of 30 credits:
1 Graduate Research Seminar/Final Thesis (3 credits)
CERTIFICATES
Certificate in Jewish Spiritual Education (4 Modules)
Credits (8 total)
Module 1: The Soul of Jewish Education
2
Module 2: Mussar for Educators
2
Module 3: Creative Expression for Spiritual Development
2
Module 4: Jewish Spiritual Disciplines of Talmud Torah, Tefila and Musar
2
Certificate in Learning & Leading (4 Modules)
Credits (8 total)
Module 1: Instructional Leadership
2
Module 2: Organizational Leadership
2
Module 3: From Talmud to Tachlis: A Practical Guide for Jewish Organizations
2
Module 4: Leadership & Change
2
Certificate in Teaching & Learning in Jewish Education (4 modules)
Credits
Module 1: Becoming a Reflective Practitioner: Developing our Teacher Stance
2
Module 2: Curriculum and Planning: Beginning with the End in Mind
2
Module 3: Modalities of Teaching: Pedagogies for Educational Settings
2
Module 4: ASSESSMENT: Lessons from Teaching and Learning
2
Certificate in Emerging Trends in Jewish Education (4 Modules)
Credits
Module 1: Teaching Israel: Theory and Practice
2
Module 2: Navigating DEI and Addressing Anti-Semitism in Jewish Educational Settings
2
Module 3: People and Planet: Growing the Field of Jewish Environmental Education
2
Module 4: Judaism, Resilience, Well-Being: Recovering the Sparks of Wholeness
2
Benefits of a Master of Jewish Education Degree at Hebrew College
You will feel uniquely prepared for the ongoing dilemmas in Jewish Educational Leadership.
You will learn in an intentionally pluralistic community, preparing you to navigate the complexities of 21st learning environments.
You will develop a robust and diverse network of colleagues in your field.
Rabbi Dr. Michael Shire, Professor of Jewish Education
We’re also aware that learning a foreign language is a really hard thing to do. While we feel it’s really vital that Hebrew is at the core of the Jewish learning experience, it doesn’t necessarily need to be an obstacle. We made the decision that Hebrew is not a prerequisite for our program, but rather, you can take the time while you study with us to immerse yourself in really good learning and make Hebrew a part of your coursework.
Opening Doors to Career Opportunities
Hebrew College MJEd graduates find meaningful work in a wide variety of settings, including Jewish day schools, congregational schools, youth groups, camps, college and university campuses, philanthropies, non-profit organizations, and other Jewish communal organizations. Our graduates hold many diverse positions including: curriculum developer, leadership coach, Jewish special educator, early childhood director, campus professional, Israel education specialist, director of congregational learning, and more.
How to Apply
Application Requirements
Bachelor’s degree from accredited college or university
Official transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate study
Three letters of recommendation
Two reflective essays
Admissions Interview via Zoom
Application Deadline The application deadline for the Fall 2024 Cohort is July 15, 2024. Extensions are granted on a case-by-case basis, though financial aid awards may be more limited for late applications.
