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Academic Information The Rabbinical School offers a five-year program of full-time graduate study leading to the Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters degree and ordination. Students admitted to the rabbinical program are required to spend their first academic year, beginning in late June, at the College-Institute's campus in Jerusalem. In rare instances, students with exceptional backgrounds and degrees in Hebrew and cognate studies may be exempt from the Year-in-Israel Program and given advanced standing in other areas on the basis of examinations to be taken following acceptance. Upon successful completion of the Year-in-Israel Program, students return to one of the three American campuses to which they had been assigned upon admission to the Rabbinical School. Application is made to HUC-JIR and not to a particular campus. The Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and New York Schools offer four-year programs leading to the M.A.H.L. degree and ordination. A one-year program (not counted towards the normal five-year rabbinical course) is available under the auspices of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education in Los Angeles or the New York School of Education to rabbinical students who wish to receive a Master's degree in Jewish or Religious Education. Rabbinical students at the Cincinnati campus may also earn a Master of Arts in Education degree through a joint program with HUC-JIR and Xavier University within the five-years of the rabbinical course. A fourteen-month program (not counted towards the normal five-year rabbinical course) is available under the auspices of the School of Jewish Communal Service for rabbinical students who wish to earn the Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service. A special Ph.D. program linked to the Rabbinical School is offered in Cincinnati in conjunction with the School of Graduate Studies. Admissions Admissions procedures for the Rabbinical School are uniform - regardless of campus placement. Information may be obtained from the National Office of Admissions in Cincinnati. Prerequisites A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university or its equivalent is a prerequisite for admission. While there is no set standard for academic achievement, potential candidates should have at least a 3.0 grade-point average (4.0 scale), two years of college level Hebrew, and outstanding Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores. No particular academic major is preferred. Our finest candidates are those with substantial involvement in the Jewish community, academic success, knowledge of basic Modern Hebrew, interpersonal skills, and a commitment to Reform Judaism. Procedure Application packets are distributed to candidates, upon request, from September through December of the academic year prior to the year in which one plans to matriculate. When an individual requests an application, a preliminary interview will be scheduled with one of the Admission Officers. The deadline for submitting application materials is dependent upon the session and place of interview (materials are usually due by December or February depending on the time of interview). Please consult the National Office of Admissions or the application itself for the current interview session dates. The application file consists of background information on the candidate, official academic transcripts from all universities attended as well as from high school, an autobiographical essay, a Jewish Test, five letters of recommendation (two academic, one Judaic, and one Professional and one Judaic or Professional), scores from the GRE, a medical report, an application fee, and other administrative elements. Once all necessary materials are submitted and accepted, an interview may be scheduled during one of two interview sessions (available at all campuses) - typically in January and in March. For our international candidates (not including Israel), alternate arrangements, in special cases, may be made available through our National Office. During the interview session, each applicant will participate in an interview with the Admissions Committee and in psychological testing by a psychologist selected by the College-Institute. At the time of interview, candidates will also be required to take the Hebrew proficiency examination. Applicants should be able to demonstrate the equivalence of two years of college-level Modern Hebrew. While admission is not dependent upon the results of the examination, matriculation may be delayed. Interested candidates should not begin the application process until they are confident in their elementary Hebrew proficiency. Candidates for the Rabbinical School are urged to consult with rabbinical alumni of HUC-JIR. Upon request, the National Office of Admissions or any of the Admissions Offices at the various centers of learning will be pleased to provide the names of alumni in the candidate's area. If you have interest in the Rabbinical School, please contact any of our offices for more information. It is recommended that you be in contact with an Admissions Officer at least one year prior to the year in which you plan to apply (two academic years before matriculation). Tuition and Fees Go to Tuition and Fees Financial Aid Financial aid is awarded, in the form of scholarship assistance, in cases of demonstrated need. Rules and regulations regarding the eligibility for financial aid are published annually and are available upon request. Student Organization and Activities The student body of each school governs its own affairs through its elected officers. These students leaders act as liaisons to the administration and participate in faculty-student committees and student committees relating to every phase of College-Institute life, including curriculum, which varies from campus to campus, fieldwork, student employment, orientation, and social activities. Among the many activities of the student body are a student speakers' bureau, a cooperative bookstore, and a variety of social action projects fostering Tikkun Olam, such as a soup kitchen and a women's shelter. Chaplaincy Ordained graduates of the College-Institute are eligible to apply for a position as chaplain in one of the Armed Forces. Students contemplating such voluntary service are urged to apply for a commission in the Seminarian Reserve Program upon entering the College-Institute so that they may build seniority in the service of their choice before ordination. Participation in the Seminarian Reserve Program does not obligate the student to active service nor does it obligate the military to accept the student upon ordination. First-Year Rabbinical Program Jerusalem The Year-in-Israel Program is mandatory for all first-year rabbinical students. Matriculation into the Year-in-Israel Program is conditioned upon passing a Hebrew language competency examination, demonstrating the equivalent of at least one year of college-level Hebrew. Priorities
The Year-in-Israel Program includes a number of orientation sessions and seminars at the beginning of the academic year and thereafter throughout the course of study. Among the topics examined are: (a) a basic orientation to Jerusalem past and present, (b) an introduction to modern Israel, (c) a discussion of the role of Reform Judaism, and (d) an examination of the roles of Jewish professionals within the community. Programs of Study Students are expected to spend a minimum of 22 credit hours of classroom study, divided between core courses (14 credits) and specialized courses (6 credits) and a weekly First Year Seminar (2 credits). I. Core Courses
II. Specialized Courses Students are required to study courses in each of the following areas of Study (2 credits each)
III. First Year Seminar: "Concepts in Jewish Living" For one day a week, Israel is the classroom, as students explore aspects of Judaism and the Jewish State. Some days studies take place on campus, and many others there are site visits of various kinds. Learning techniques include text study sessions, film, independent research, and more. Two of the extended field study trips are part of the wider course. Requirements include two research papers and active participation. Sessions tend to run from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. throughout the year. Subjects include Religion and State, Life Cycle, and Zionism. IV. Other Requirements
The Vision of the Core Rabbinical Curriculum At the heart of our new Core Rabbinic Curriculum, which provides a framework for the first three years of study (towards the M.A. degree), is our intent to create a total curriculum of learning. What matters is not what we think we are teaching, but what students are actually learning. The new Core Rabbinic Curriculum's overriding message is that learning is our priority and our focus must be on learning outcomes and training our students as professional Jewish leaders-how students think and understand, what they know and what they are capable of doing with their knowledge. Simply put, we want to help our students make meaning-in each learning area and throughout your overall experience at HUC-JIR, helping them to actualize their full potential as future Jewish professionals. In order to achieve this, we have shaped an integrating experience, one that not only views the Year-in-Israel Program as a systematic part of the overall program, but that links text study with the development of professional skills and spiritual growth. The goal of the curriculum is to assist our students in formulating and responding to essential questions of meaning -- such as "How does Judaism provide meaning to human existence?" "Is there meaning to Jewish history?" and "What is the nature of the ongoing relationship between God and the Jewish people?" -- which transcend literary genre and subject areas, and require you to hone conceptual skills. What we hope students will achieve is a clear, integrated vision for Jewish life, which can engage congregants and students, and the professional and leadership skills to bring it to life within the institutions in which they will serve. Integration will be achieved in several different ways:
The Core Curriculum's vision of maximizing the integration of learning for all of our students in part will be achieved through the assessment of student learning and growth. To be sure, we take seriously our responsibility to determine the suitability of our students for Jewish professional service. Therefore, we must be diligent at the various stages of our summative assessment: following the Year-in-Israel Program, at the completion of the Core Curriculum and prior to Ordination, Investiture and Graduation. There will be a formal decision-making process focusing on whether each student is capable of continuing in the program, completing its requirement and is suitable for the profession. That being said, our major focus must be on the formative assessment of our students. It is not sufficient to give grades at the end of each learning module. Students need ongoing mentoring, assessment of growth and feedback if they are to fulfill their fullest potential. In addition, systematic assessment and feedback will assist them in shaping their learning into a uniform vision for Jewish life. Such assessment demands input from all those faculty, mentors, practitioners and lay people who have contact with the student in both a curricular as well as cocurricular context. Three hundred-sixty degree assessment should involve course evaluations (with narratives), assessment from field placements and student pulpits, work with youth groups, in camps, and in teaching, and also from involvement in social and communal activities within the HUC-JIR community. Nevertheless, the primary function of this kind of holistic assessment is indeed to help each student focus on areas of strengths and on those that need further growth. To facilitate such ongoing assessment/mentoring of our students, they will be paired with members of the faculty/administration, and will meet in small groups and one-on-one several times during the academic year. The initial meeting will focus on goals and aims for growth during the year, while the final assessment will in the main involve the students' reflection on the year. It will focus on how they have fulfilled their goals, what they are proud of in terms of their growth and what areas need additional work, as well as what they have learned about themselves this year. As part of the assessment process and in an effort to underscore the students' responsibility for self-evaluation, the committee insists that each student select the material that will be a part of his/her learning portfolio. In the ongoing shaping of the portfolio, the student will include at least one example of each of the following categories: "performance" materials (e.g., derashot, divrei Torah, Tefillot), reflective pieces on synthetic questions, papers, exams, outside assessment, a statement of belief, journal entries, and material reflecting Hebrew growth. In addition, we are now discussing the advantages of using electronic portfolios. The skills of self-reflection required by this approach will hopefully assist students throughout their careers of service and in pursuing lifelong study. The open discourse with faculty will provide them with models for mentoring as they will be called upon to help nurture a new generation of committed Jews. Ultimately, HUC-JIR's shift to learner-centered assessment will assist all our students in truly knowing who they are and what they value, which is essential to their effectiveness in helping others to create communities of meaning. The new Core Rabbinic Curriculum embodies both our progress and what the College-Institute needs to be in three essential ways:
Academics The Rabbinical School operates on a semester basis. Before each term, students arrange their programs in accordance with curricular rules governing the course sequence and the number of credits that may be obtained in any one semester. All programs must be approved by the director of the Rabbinical School or the dean. A candidate for ordination must present an acceptable rabbinical thesis on a subject which has been previously approved by the faculty. Courses are organized on a unit system. In addition to units taken for credit, students may audit courses with the permission of the department chairman and/or dean. For specific information regarding the fulfillment of course requirements, credits, etc., please consult the Student Handbook of the appropriate campus. With the prior approval of the director of the rabbinical school or the dean, students may enroll in graduate courses at another university during the academic year. The academic goals and standards of the rabbinical program offered at each of the schools are, insofar as possible, identical. The specific course structure, however, while aiming for equivalence, differs in details at each of the campuses. For details, consult the Rabbinical Program under each of the schools. Sample Core Curriculum A core curriculum has been created for the first three years of the rabbinical program. Currently, at each center of learning, the program differs slightly. What follows is a sample of what the overall curriculum might look like:
Synagogue Skills Services, conducted by students, are held four times a week in the synagogue. Students are encouraged to introduce a blend of traditional and creative elements into the worship they lead. The assignment of student responsibilities (reader, Torah reader, preacher) is made in advance of each semester by the Registrar and the Director of the School of Rabbinical Studies. It includes the list of faculty with whom each participant must consult in advance of the service(s) for which the student is responsible. Speech Proficiency and Homiletics A student is required to enroll in Communication/Homiletics. The student will also deliver a synagogue sermon in the fourth and fifth years. The sermon is to be prepared in consultation with a faculty advisor and the speech instructor. Student Sermons Fourth-year and fifth-year rabbinical students are responsible for a sermon presented during the regularly scheduled religious services. A discussion on the sermon follows each service. Third-year rabbinical students are responsible for a brief D'var Torah in the spring semester as part of their Homiletics course requirements. Rabbinical Thesis/Capstone Experience A candidate for ordination must either present an acceptable thesis on a subject which has been previously approved by the faculty or a final capstone project. Please consult the Rabbinical Student Handbook on Academic Procedures for procedures governing the rabbinical thesis. Ordination Upon successful completion of the 41 course units, a rabbinical thesis, and other requirements, as outlined in the Rabbinical Student Handbook on Academic Procedures, and upon recommendation of the faculty, a student qualifies for ordination as rabbi. Joint Programs Opportunities for rabbinical students to work towards another degree while completing their rabbinical training exist at each of our stateside campuses. Depending on the nature of the program, students may elect to study at their respective campus or study at one of the other campuses for the length of time necessary to complete the additional program. Application to these additional programs are typically made during the third year of rabbinical study. Cincinnati Ph.D. - Rabbinical students wishing to further their academic study toward a Ph.D. may apply to a special program combining their fifth-year of rabbinical studies with their Ph.D. course work under the auspices of the School of Graduate Studies. Please see the School of Graduate Studies brochure for more information on the areas of specialized study. Master of Education in Educational Administration with a Specialization in Jewish Education - Rabbinical students may elect to study toward this degree in a joint program with Xavier University as part of their five-year rabbinical program. Classes are taken at HUC-JIR and at Xavier University during the academic year and during the summer months. Los Angeles Master of Arts in Jewish Education - Rabbinical students from all stateside campuses have the opportunity to study in this one-year program (not counted toward the five-year rabbinical course) under the auspices of HUC-JIR's Rhea Hirsch School of Education. Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service - A fourteen-month program (not counted toward the five-year rabbinical course) is available under the auspices of HUC-JIR's School of Jewish Communal Service. New York Master of Arts in Religious Education - Rabbinical students at the New York campus have the opportunity to work toward this degree under the auspices of the New York School of Education. An additional year of study is required, making this rabbinical/education program a six-year program. Joint Master of Jewish Education Program A one-year program (not counted towards the normal five-year rabbinical course) is available under the auspices of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education in Los Angeles to rabbinical students at all stateside campuses who wish to specialize in Jewish education. A fourteen-month program (not counted towards the normal five-year rabbinical course) is available under the auspices of the Daniel School of Jewish Communal Service for rabbinical students who wish to earn the Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service. A special Ph.D. program linked to the Rabbinical School is offered in Cincinnati in conjunction with the School of Graduate Studies. Joint Master of Education Program In cooperation with Xavier University, rabbinical students (only) studying at the Cincinnati School have the opportunity to obtain a Master's in Educational Administration degree, with a specialization in Jewish Education. This 30 semester hours Master's program is meant for students having successfully completed their first two years of rabbinical school. It is a part-time program with classes generally taken in late afternoons, evenings, and summers. Students interested in this program apply during their second year of rabbinical school. The application materials and procedures are available from HUC-JIR's Professor of Jewish Education. Consortium with other academic institutions Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is affiliated with the University of Cincinnati, the Greater Cincinnati Consortium of Colleges and Universities, Xavier University, the University of Southern California, Washington University in St. Louis, New York University and the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. These associations provide cross-registration privileges, the use of libraries and other facilities, joint course offerings and cooperative degrees. Students of the New York School also have an opportunity to enroll in selected courses at The General Theological Seminary and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Special interseminary workshops are also offered to all students with The General Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, St. Joseph's Catholic Seminary, St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary, and The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Course Offerings For more information, please see the Academic Catalog for course offerings in Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and New York. Field Work There are extensive opportunities for field work in the rabbinical program: Student pulpits and rabbinical internships organized by each center of learning: monthly, triweekly and biweekly pulpits throughout the United States; and internships at many of the larger congregations near the HUC-JIR centers of learning. Hospital chaplaincy through the Clinical Pastoral Education program. Religious education experience in a local Reform congregation, under careful supervision, guidance and mentoring; B'nai Mitzvah tutoring opportunities. Communal Service opportunities through the full network of accessible local Jewish agencies -- Jewish Federation, Jewish Community Center, Jewish Family Service -- or through international organizations including the URJ, RAC, WRJ, and others. Youth/Camping work available year-round: advise youth groups (junior high and/or high school) during the year; spend a summer at a URJ camp or with NFTY in Israel. Ordained graduates of the College-Institute are eligible to apply for a position as chaplain in one of the Armed Forces. Students contemplating such voluntary service are urged to apply for a commission in the Seminarian Reserve Program upon entering the College-Institute so that they may build seniority in the service of their choice before ordination. Participation in the Seminarian Reserve Program does not obligate the student to active service nor does it obligate the military to accept the student upon ordination. Supervised Field Work Program Students in the rabbinical program are required to serve as part-time rabbinical interns in small congregations or as part-time interns to rabbis in larger congregations. There are also opportunities for students to serve as rabbinical interns and as part-time chaplains in hospitals, homes for the aged, Jewish religious schools, Hillels, and other communal institutions. In 1992 the College-Institute, with the assistance of the Wexner Foundation, inaugurated a new program, giving rabbinical students the opportunity to complete clinical residencies under the supervision of rabbinical alumni. Rabbinical residents spend six to eight weeks during the summer on sites in diverse settings: congregations, Hillels, Jewish organizations, hospitals, and Jewish religious schools. Interns are given a unique, individualized learning experience, with opportunities to observe and reflect with their mentors on the dynamics of congregations or institutions - how typical problems and issues arise and are handled, and how Jewish professionals and lay leaders interact with the rhythms, joys, and stresses of rabbinical life. With the support of HUC-JIR alumni, rabbinical residencies will become a part of the core curriculum for all rabbinical students. Mentor Program In the second year, students work with seasoned congregational rabbis in group discussions about experiences arising in their placements, as well as meeting bi-monthly with the Director of the School of Rabbinical Studies. In the third year, as part of the Pastoral Counseling program, students are paired with rabbis who have done advanced work in areas of pastoral counseling or spiritual direction. In the fourth year, each student has an internship with a senior rabbi whose supervision of the student is keyed to topics discussed in the Rabbinic Leadership practicum. In the fifth year, students will work with seasoned rabbinic mentors in the community. Resources New York Rabbinical Student Handbook (PDF format) Libraries, Museums, Centers, and American Jewish Archives Faculty and Administration Click here for Faculty and Administration |
