Rabbinic/Cantorial — Education Program

For current students and alumni

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

PRELMINARY CONSULTATION

As part of your application process to becoming an educational leader through HUC-JIR, we encourage you to speak with a professional in the Department of Admissions and Recruitment. This informal, preliminary consultation is a way for us to get to know you better, for you to ask your questions and be sure now is the right time for you to apply. Simply email EducationPrograms@huc.edu to set a date and time.

THE APPLICATION

If you’ve applied in the past, or are familiar with our application process from years past, you may be interested to know that we’ve changed our process, and we continue to maintain our high admissions standards.

Here are the steps you should take:

First, begin Part 1 of your application for admission. We’ll ask you a few, simple questions about yourself and your educational background.

Then, after you’ve submitted Part 1 of your application, we’ll confirm its receipt and email you instructions on how to start Part 2. Part 2 of the application asks program-specific questions.

There is one application deadline and interview period for each program offered by the Rhea Hirsch School of Education: Master of Arts in Jewish Education/ Joint Masters in Jewish Education and Jewish Nonprofit Management and Master of Arts in Jewish Education (M.A.J.E.) for rabbinical students or alumni.

All application materials, including Part 2 of your application, letters of references, transcripts and test results, must be received by the deadline in order to receive an interview. HUC-JIR does not offer rolling admissions.

Admissions Essays

As you fill out Part 2 of your online application, you will be prompted to submit your Personal Statement and Admissions Essays. Your answers to the following questions help us get to know you as an individual, a student, a Jew, and a Jewish educator. Your two essays, resume and picture should be consolidated into one document that you will be asked to upload. Please respond to each of the following questions separately. Limit your response to the two questions to a total of six double-spaced, typed pages.

Please describe a powerful Jewish learning experience that you designed or in which you were a participant. What characteristics made it powerful? What ideas do you have for making it even more powerful should it be repeated in the future?
How would you articulate the purpose of Jewish education and what would you take as evidence that Jewish education was moving toward fulfilling that purpose?

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

In addition to the online Part 1 and 2 of your application, HUC-JIR requires a number of supporting application documents that should be emailed or sent to the National Office of Admissions and Recruitment on the Los Angeles campus. Do not send documents to any other campus or department of HUC-JIR, as this will delay or prevent us from receiving your complete application by the deadline.

TRANSCRIPTS

Please provide one copy of official transcripts from any colleges or universities (including HUC-JIR), which you have attended since you submitted your rabbinical school or cantorial school application.

To request your HUC-JIR transcript, contact the National Registrar at [registrar@huc.edu][registrar-email] with your request.

Required transcripts include “Year Abroad” programs or other foreign study, as well as courses taken in non-degree programs.

Have the schools mail the transcripts directly to: National Office of Admissions and Recruitment, Hebrew Union College — Jewish Institute of Religion, 3077 University Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007. Please request transcripts with sufficient time to allow them to arrive by the application deadline.

LETTERS OF REFERENCE

Good references come from individuals who know you well enough to give the Admissions Committee input on your candidacy and reflect on specific experiences you have had that will make you a strong candidate.

You must have two academic references. These references must be from members of the HUC-JIR faculty with whom you have engaged in serious academic study

You must have one professional reference. The professional reference should be a supervisor with whom you have worked since you began your studies at HUC-JIR.

You must have one student advisor reference. This reference must be from someone who served in the capacity of your student advisor while at HUC-JIR.

Please use the Reference Letter Request Form to submit the names and contact information of your references. HUC-JIR will not accept more than four letters of reference. The individuals you list as references will receive an email from HUC Admissions informing them that you have requested they write a letter of reference on your behalf. It is recommended that you are in touch with your chosen references prior to filling out this online form to alert them that they will receive this emailed request.

The Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, as amended, provides students the right to inspect their records. This includes letters of recommendation submitted in the application process. HUC-JIR carefully reviews all letters of reference. However, we find that letters written in confidence are most useful in assessing a candidate’s qualifications and promise. By using the Reference Letter Request Form, you are automatically waiving your right. Please contact admissions@huc.edu with any questions or concerns.

Reminders regarding references:

Please allow each reference enough time (at least one month) to complete his or her letter of reference.
If you wish to substitute, delete, or add references after you have submitted their names in the online Reference Letter Request Form, you must report this in writing to the National Office of Admissions by emailing admissions@huc.edu

CHECKLIST

Use this checklist as a guide to completing your HUC-JIR Admissions Application.

To be completed online:

Part 1 of your application
Part 2 of your application (including uploading your Personal Statement, Admissions Essays, Resume and Picture)
Reference Letter Request Form

Additional items (to be sent directly to HUC-JIR Office of Admissions and Recruitment):

HUC-JIR transcript
Other transcripts from any colleges or universities which you have attended since you submitted your rabbinical school or cantorial school application (if applicable)

National Office of Admissions and Recruitment
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
3077 University Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90007

admissions@huc.edu

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

WHAT WE LOOK FOR

Current rabbinical students, rabbinical alumni, cantors or cantorial alumni who would like to earn a Master of Arts in Jewish Education (MAJE) or a Master of Arts in Religious Education (MARE) are eligible to apply for this Rabbinical or Cantorial - Education program. Residency for this program can take place on the, Los Angeles, Cincinnati or New York campuses.

INTERVIEW

A personal interview with the Admissions Committee is required as part of our evaluation of your candidacy. This on-campus interview provides the Committee the opportunity to get to know you better and allows you to expand upon the information you have provided in your application.

We reserve the right to deny an interview to applicants who do not meet the admissions standards. Please do not make travel arrangements to a campus until you receive confirmation from HUC-JIR that you have been granted an interview.

BECOMING A NEW STUDENT

In preparation for you pending enrollment as a new student, we highly suggest that you visit our For New Students page that outlines the post-interview/post-acceptance next steps of the admissions process. Key to your preparation will be completing the required Medical Forms and submitting Financial Aid documentation.

START YOUR APPLICATION

Part 1 of the Application