The virtual pathway is designed for second-career students who cannot attend our campus-based rabbinical program in Los Angeles or New York due geographic constraints or extenuating circumstances.
The Office of Recruitment and Admissions will help applicants determine which pathway offers the right fit for them.
Weekly synchronous class is Mondays and Wednesdays, from 11:30am-1pm ET. This course is always a Jewish Text course, be it Liturgy, Torah, or Talmud. There is only ONE foundational required synchronous class in a term.
Weekly asynchronous classes are classes where students work at their own pace, while within weekly modules, and include written discussion boards, smaller written assignments and papers. There might be optional episodic meeting times, either during the day or evening.
Weekly hybrid classes meeting asynchronously, with some optional synchronous meetings. The faculty of those are flexible if a student has a conflict with one session. There might be up to two hybrid classes, for Professional Development, in a term.
Many of the electives are All Campus classes, meaning they are offered for NY, LA, and Virtual Pathway. These are synchronous classes, and they meet once a week in the afternoons. Students are opting into these classes, so students have flexibility to select the courses that match their schedules. There will also be available asynchronous electives for students who cannot afford additional time away from work during their weekly studies.
A “second-career student” is generally defined as someone who changes their career after 10 years training for and working in a given profession. The virtual pathway is designed for professionals who seek a career pivot into the rabbinate, as well as for Jewish professionals who seek to expand their service in the Jewish community in a new capacity as a rabbi.
Students in the virtual pathway need to maintain a 12-credit course load each semester of this year-round program (Fall, Spring, and Summer terms). Students continue to work at their professional jobs, while ensuring that they can allow sufficient time for all components of the program. Virtual pathway students should expect to spend an estimated 15-20 hours per week between class time, assignments, and other commitments (time will vary from student to student). Students will need to set aside time for synchronous classes on Mondays and Wednesday mornings (ET); weekly asynchronous classes and hevruta scheduled at each student’s convenience; reading and assignments; plus, fieldwork, tefilah, clergy formation mentoring, and other components that take place at different junctures in the program.
Strong Hebrew skills are a priority for clergy students at Hebrew Union College. Admitted applicants must demonstrate a minimum Hebrew level roughly equivalent to ulpan level Bet on the Hebrew Capacity Evaluation taken within one week of the admissions interview. (See the Hebrew Study Preparation and Study section of our website for more information about the Hebrew Capacity Evaluation and the online Seminary Hebrew courses we offer prospective students.)
The length of the program is individualized, based on a student’s prior education and experience. Students with relevant graduate course credits from an accredited institution can request a transcript review, and applicable credits will be applied toward rabbinical school requirements. Students can also complete a portfolio for a Prior Learning Assessment to identify eligibility for advanced standing or credit based on demonstrated mastery of program requirements gained through professional and life experiences.
Students with advanced standing should anticipate approximately three years of study before ordination; students entering without prior credits should be able to complete the program in the equivalency of five years.
Each fall and spring semester will begin with a four-day in-person intensive designed to allow virtual pathway students to deepen relationships with classmates and faculty, pray together and practice worship leading skills, and engage in beit midrash, and seminar style learning.
Our Virtual Pathway Intensives are held on the grounds of each of our campuses in Cincinnati, New York and Los Angelos.
Students will be responsible for their transportation, lodging and meals during these intensives.
Second-career students bring unique professional experiences to their clergy formation journeys.
- Completion of one year ( 9 Shabbatot) of Weekend Student Pulpit that also includes High Holiday services, at a URJ congregation and approved by the Fieldwork Director. a High Holiday placement. Those VP students working professionally for the High Holidays or on Shabbat, can seek accommodations around these requirements.
- Completion of one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) which is 400 hours is ideal and best suited for students looking at congregational work and/or chaplaincy pathways; or Completion of our Pastoral Care Internship (200 hours) ideal for students working full time who cannot step away from the workplace for more hours, completed during an academic year after consultation with the National Director of Fieldwork.
- Virtual Pathway students are encouraged to do additional Fieldwork approved by the Fieldwork Director beyond these requirement.
Virtual pathway students will study with Hebrew Union College’s world-renowned faculty, made up of field-leading scholars, expert practitioners, and adjunct faculty who are committed to the craft of teaching and invested in nurturing their students’ holistic growth as part of the process of rabbinical formation.
Study in and about Israel is central to Hebrew Union College’s rabbinical program. As part of the admissions process, applicants will complete an Israel Experience Survey that will enable the administration to assess a student’s prior Israel experiences and, in conversation with applicants, determine how each student might satisfy our Israel requirement.
- Virtual pathway students have the option of beginning their studies with the Year-In-Israel program on our Taube Family Campus in Jerusalem.
- Alternatively, virtual pathway students will need to complete the equivalent of an academic year (two semesters) living and learning in Israel at another time before ordination. The virtual pathway immersive summer semester in Israel (offered every other summer) counts as one semester. The other semester may be fulfilled through prior Israel experiences that add up to the equivalent of a semester (as evidenced in the Israel Experience Survey) or additional time in Israel while in rabbinical school.
- Students with limited Israel experience (less than the equivalent of one semester) who are unable to join the Year-In-Israel should expect to spend additional time in Israel prior to or after the virtual pathway summer semester in Israel.
Students can anticipate an enriching and integrated educational experience. Each term, students will take a mix of online courses, for example:
- Synchronous text-based courses: e.g., Bible, Talmud
- Asynchronous Judaica courses: e.g., Jewish Thought, History
- Practical Rabbinics courses: e.g., Tefilah Lab, Homiletics
- Clergy Formation Mentoring: Regular meetings with a supervised mentor to support students in their reflection on and integration of academic, spiritual, leadership, fieldwork, and academic life. Mentors also help students assess their growth against rubrics for religious practice and commitments, personal theology, and clergy identity formation.
As students move from the core curriculum to electives, virtual pathway students will study with campus-based students in online electives and take asynchronous virtual pathway courses.
- Knowledge of Hebrew sufficient to begin studying Jewish texts in their original language.
- Prior experience in formal Jewish text study.
- Active engagement in Jewish living, and an eagerness to deepen religious commitments and practices.
- Passion for becoming a rabbi and commitment to meeting the demands of rabbinical school.
- Passion for lifelong learning and comfort being a novice in new arenas.
- Curious mindset and a spirit of openness.
- Ability to adapt to change and capacity to pivot.
- Self-motivation and ability to navigate learning independently.
The tuition rate for the Virtual Pathway for the Fall and Spring semesters is $14,500 per semester. Virtual students will also enroll in requireds summer terms at the cost of $10,000 a summer. All other fees will remain consistent with other program related fees.
Additional costs for the in-person intensives twice a year, where students should expect to pay their own travel, lodging and meals. For Israel terms, costs include Airline and ground transportation, housing and meals plus tuition.
Virtual pathway students are eligible to apply for federal financial aid and need-based scholarships.
Virtual Pathway students should anticipate additional costs beyond tuition for the twice yearly in-person intensives that are hosted across our Hebrew Union College campuses, and costs during their time in Israel. Please refer to the chart below to better understand the approximate costs of these program components, noting that costs will fluctuate and change pending inflation and local costs.
| Item | Expense Category | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Intensives | Travel | $600–$1,400 annually |
| Lodging | $1,500–$2,500 annually | |
| Meals (students are responsible for 3 dinners and 3 breakfasts at each intensive) | $105–$135 annually | |
| Israel summer term*
* Students with two Israel requirements should anticipate this cost twice during their studies.
|
Airfare and ground transportation | $1,000–$2,400 per summer term |
| Housing | $2,000–$2,800 per summer term | |
| Meals (combination of groceries and dining out) | $1,000 per summer term |
As a reminder, Virtual pathway students are eligible to apply for federal financial aid and need-based scholarships.
For detailed information about the admissions process — including application deadlines and instructions for completing the application — please visit this page. Select ‘Rabbinical Ordination (Virtual Pathway)’ from the drop-down menu and contact the Office of Recruitment and Admissions (hucadmissions@huc.edu) with additional questions.
The College recently announced that students in relationships with non-Jewish partners are now eligible to apply for its seminary programs. This change allows us to foster an even more inclusive and dynamic learning community while responding to the realities of Jewish communities. Read more.
