Masters of Arts in Jewish Nonprofit Management:
MAJNM and Dual Degree Masters Programs with USC

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

PRELMINARY CONSULTATION

As part of your application process to becoming a Jewish Nonprofit Management Professional through HUC-JIR, we encourage you to speak with a professional in the Department of Admissions and Recruitment or the Director of the School of Jewish Nonprofit Management. 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 to HUC-JIR. Simply email SJNM@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 the MAJNM and Dual Degree Masters programs with USC.

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.

Personal Statement

As you fill out Part 2 of your online application, you will be prompted to submit your Personal Statement. Your answers to the following questions help us get to know you as an individual, a student, a Jew, and a Jewish nonprofit professional. Your personal statement, resume and picture should be consolidated into one document that you will be asked to upload.

The essay should be 7–10 pages in length, double spaced, with a 12-point Times New Roman font and at least one inch margins. It should be written in a narrative style integrating the elements listed below. Please make sure to spell check and proofread your essay carefully. The Admissions Committee pays attention to the form, as well as the content of the admissions essay.

The bulleted questions below are intended as a guide; however, please be sure to address each category listed. (Categories are in bold and underlined.)

If you are applying to a dual degree masters program, please be sure to address both fields in your essay (i.e. Jewish Nonprofit Management and Public Administration or Jewish Nonprofit Management and Social Work).

Personal Background:

What significant experiences or relationships have influenced your personal development and your career decision?
What challenges have you encountered? How have you addressed them, and what impact have they had in shaping your values?

Jewish Identity:

Describe your Jewish background, in terms of family, culture, education and experiences.
What people and experiences have influenced your Jewish identity?
What are your current Jewish involvements?
Reflect upon one value or idea that is central to your understanding of the Jewish experience.

Academic Background

Describe your educational background, including both strengths and deficiencies.
What relationships and experiences have been most influential in your intellectual growth?

Work Experience

Describe your most rewarding and most challenging organizational experiences.
What relationships and experiences have been most influential in your professional growth?

Professional Goals

What are the personal qualities, experiences and values that have prepared you for a career in Jewish nonprofit management (and business, public administration, communication management, or social work, if applicable)?
What are your professional goals and vision, and how have they evolved?
Discuss any personal limitations or financial concerns you may have that relate to your ability to participate in graduate school.

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 us with one copy of an official transcript from:

The college from which you graduated as well as any other colleges you attended. (This includes any school at which you took a college-level class.)
Any graduate schools where you have been enrolled, as well as schools where you have taken graduate-level classes.
Any “Year Abroad” programs or other foreign study. (If grades from international programs are recorded on your college transcript you do not need to submit a separate transcript.)

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.

For international applicants, year-by-year records from colleges and universities attended are required. The record must indicate the number of hours per week devoted to each course, grades received for each course, and degrees awarded, with dates the degrees were conferred. This information must be provided in English. If this information is not available in English, it is the applicant’s responsibility to have it professionally translated and certified before it is sent to HUC-JIR. If grades are not determined on a 4.0 scale system please include guidelines in English from the school that explain the grading system.

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. College professors or instructors with whom you have engaged in serious academic study should write the academic references. If you have been out of college more than five years you may obtain academic references from adult or informal education instructors.

Of the remaining two references, HUC-JIR encourages you to submit a Judaic reference from an alumnus of HUC-JIR and a professional reference from a supervisor of your work, paid or volunteer, preferably in a Jewish setting.

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

GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATION (GRE) or the GRADUATE MANAGEMENT ADMISSIONS TEST (GMAT)

All applicants with English proficiency are required to take the GRE General Test. When registering for the GRE, please use the school code number 4349, which directs the results to the National Office of Admissions and Recruitment on the HUC-JIR Los Angeles campus. Do not use the school code number of any other HUC-JIR campus, as this will delay or prevent our receipt of your GRE scores. For GRE information, please see www.ets.org/gre.

We recommend that the test be taken at least four weeks before the application is due to allow time for the scores to be sent to HUC-JIR. GRE scores are only valid for five years. Candidates with a prior degree from HUC-JIR, Ph.D. or Masters degree (post-Bachelor) from an accredited institution that required a GRE score for admission may be exempt from submitting a current GRE score. Please email admissions@huc.edu with a request to exempt from this requirement.

TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TOEFL)

International applicants for whom English is not the first language must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in approximately 100 centers outside the United States. See the information available at: www.ets.org/toefl. Please note that the TOEFL exam is not a substitute for the GRE.

DUAL DEGREE MASTERS PROGRAM APPLICATION

The partnership between HUC-JIR and USC begins at the time of matriculation; therefore all applicants to one of USC’s dual degree masters programs with HUC-JIR must complete a USC Graduate Admission Application (online) and a USC Supplemental Application and send supporting documents to USC; this in addition to the HUC-JIR School of Jewish Nonprofit Management online application and supporting documents. You will receive separate admissions notifications from each institution at approximately the same time.

Please be aware of any differing application deadlines and scholarship deadlines from HUC-JIR and USC.
Transcripts, GRE/GMAT scores and letters of reference must be submitted SEPARATELY for your HUC-JIR application and your USC application. Please follow instructions as given from each institution.
You will be required to pay both the HUC-JIR application fee and the USC application fee.
You may use the same essays and resume for both applications. Letters of recommendation can be from the same sources, but must be submitted separately to each institution via the requested processes.
As a student, all tuition billing is processed through HUC-JIR as well as financial aid. Use only HUC-JIR’s FAFSA School Code: G04054. You may be eligible for outside scholarships from USC or other institutions/organizations.
The USC Office of Graduate Admissions can be reached at 213–740–1111.

When communicating with any of the USC departments, whether orally or in writing, you should always identify yourself as an applicant to the dual degree masters program in conjunction with Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles.

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, Resume and Picture)
Reference Letter Request Form
For USC/HUC-JIR Dual Degree Masters Applicants only:

USC Graduate Admission Application

USC Supplemental Application forms
Supporting documents sent directly to USC, including an application fee

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

Transcript(s) – undergraduate and graduate school (if applicable)
GRE or GMAT score report will be sent automatically to HUC-JIR. Be sure to use the correct school code.
TOEFL score report (international students only), sent directly from the testing company.

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

We are looking for highly qualified applicants for all of our programs. HUC-JIR’s student body is diverse and there is no “correct path” to becoming a strong candidate. Each applicant is viewed as a unique individual. For example, a degree in Jewish studies is not required but it is important to have some background with liberal arts classes where reading and writing are emphasized.

You must be able to meet the following requirements by June of the summer you intend to enroll.

A BA or BS degree from an accredited college or university.
An academic record reflecting the ability to do graduate work at a 3.0 grade point average or above on a four-point scale.
Completion of the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) for dual degree applicants to USC’s MBA program.
International applicants from non-English speaking countries must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), now an internet-based test (IBT). International applicants must have a working knowledge of English and a score of at least 90 on the TOEFL, with at least 22 on each constituent part.
A readiness for graduate study, including the capacity to meet the intellectual, ethical, and emotional demands of graduate school.
A serious commitment to Jewish life, learning and values.
An ability to engage in abstract reasoning, to think analytically and conceptually, and to formulate mature, independent judgments.
An ability to speak and write clearly and articulately.
The completion of one year of college-level Hebrew or the equivalent. If necessary, this requirement can be met after matriculating, but prior to graduating from the SJNM.

THE HEBREW REQUIREMENT

The School of Jewish Nonprofit Management requires that students complete one year of college-level Modern Hebrew before graduating from the program. The requirement can be fulfilled by prior completion of one-year of college-level Modern Hebrew included on the applicant’s transcript, passing the Hebrew Proficiency Examination administered by HUC-JIR Hebrew faculty, or satisfactorily passing an approved course of study prior to graduation from the program.

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.

ALUMNI-APPLICANT ADVISOR PROGRAM

As an applicant, we offer you the unique opportunity to be paired with an alumnus of your program of interest to advise you throughout the application process. These Alumni Advisors are able to provide you with assistance, counsel and one-on-one attention as related to elements of your application and admissions interview. They can also help you better understand the professional field and how HUC-JIR helped prepare them for their current career.

If you would like to be paired with an Alumni Advisor, please be sure to make this request when speaking with the Admissions professionals or emailing admissions@huc.edu.

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

Masters of Arts in Jewish Nonprofit Management: MAJNM and Dual Degree Masters Programs with USC