Information and Guidelines for Basic Jewish Studies Requirements– Master’s Degree

 

Information and Guidelines for Basic Jewish Studies Requirements– Master’s Degree

The School for Basic Jewish Studies calls on you to embark on a fascinating journey of self-discovery and cultural familiarization with the breadth of the Jewish experience through the ages. You will experience an innovative model of learning that combines traditional and contemporary perspectives. You will be able to explore Jewish society and culture and your own place within them, to hold an open dialogue with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and to experience innovative methods of learning such as hybrid courses, on-line courses and interactive workshops. Join us to deepen your knowledge, expand your horizons and take part in a meaningful discourse independent of your ethnic, religious or sectorial identification. Discover how Jewish studies could enrich your learning experience at Bar-Ilan University and open you up to a new world of insights and inspirations.

 

  1. Students who hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan must complete 4 credits* of Basic Jewish Studies during their master's degree studies.
    [Note: Students who hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan have an automatic exemption for 4 of the 8 credits required in master's degree studies].
  2. Students who do not hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan must complete 8 credits* of Basic Jewish Studies during their degree studies.
  3. Online courses (via the LAMDA platform): Up to 4 credits in the first year and up to 8 credits in the second year may be taken in online format.
  4. Students who hold a master’s degree: If no Basic Jewish Studies requirements were fulfilled in the past, they are required in any additional graduate degree pursued.
  5. Exemptions: Students who have already fulfilled Basic Jewish Studies requirements in their previous master’s degree (Basic Jewish Studies courses only) are exempt from Basic Jewish Studies in any additional master’s degree program. 
  6. Students who are in a master’s degree program in Bible Studies, Talmud Studies or Jewish Philosophy must complete 4 credits* of Basic Jewish Studies.
  7. Grades in Basic Jewish Studies courses: Students must fulfill all the requirements of Basic Jewish Studies courses (as stipulated in each course syllabus) and achieve a numerical passing grade (60 or higher).
  1. Guidelines for a master’s degree in law – Basic Jewish Studies
    Intensive law programs: Students in the concentrated law programs, as defined by the Faculty of Law, do not have Basic Jewish Studies requirements. For details on the intensive law programs that grant the exemption, contact the Faculty of Law office. Keep in mind that if such students choose to pursue an additional master’s degree, they will be required to fulfill the requirements for Basic Jewish Studies
    Master’s degree in law in the intensive program track: Students who did not take Basic Jewish Studies in this program will be required to fulfill them if they pursue an additional master’s degree at Bar-Ilan [Clause 3].
  2. Limitations on course selection: Moreover, students may not choose the course in Jewish family / marital law, as their content is covered in mandatory courses in the Faculty of Law.
  3. Master’s degree and teaching certificate: Students who do not hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan and are in a combined master’s degree + teaching certificate program must complete 12 credits* of Basic Jewish Studies, where 8 credits* of them are required for the master’s degree and the additional 4 credits* for the teaching certificate.
  4. Master’s degree after obtaining a teaching certificate: Students who obtained a teaching certificate from Bar-Ilan and completed 8 credits* of Basic Jewish Studies, are required to complete 4 more credits* for the master’s degree.
  5. Students who hold a PhD: Students whose bachelor’s degree is not from Bar-Ilan but hold a PhD from Bar-Ilan and completed 8 credits* of Basic Jewish Studies, are required to complete 4 more credits* if they later pursue a master’s degree.
  6. Non-Jewish students are exempt from Basic Jewish Studies but must instead take an equivalent number of credits of General courses. A contact form must submitted to the School of Graduate Studies including all relevant documents for converting the Jewish Studies clusters to the General clusters.
  7. Master’s thesis completion track: Students who meet admission requirements to the thesis completion track are exempt from Basic Jewish Studies per the School of Graduate Studies policy document.
  8. Direct master’s degree track: Students in the direct track who have met admission requirements per the School of Graduate Studies policy document are exempt from Basic Jewish Studies for their master’s degree. If they pursue an additional master’s degree at a later time, have to complete their Basic Jewish Studies requirements.
  9. Medical studies:
    Medical studies: Medical students in the different tracks (3-year or 4-year) who hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan must complete 4 credits* of Basic Jewish Studies. Students who do not hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan must take 8 credits* of Basic Jewish Studies.
    MD-PhD programs: Students in the MD-PhD track who hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan must complete a total of 4 credits* of Basic Jewish Studies during their master’s and PhD degrees. Students who do not hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan must take 8 credits* of Basic Jewish Studies in their master’s degree and 4 additional credits* in their PhD, totaling 12 credits*.
    MSc in medical sciences: Students in the 81401 thesis-based track in medical sciences, must fulfill Basic Jewish Studies requirements; students who hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan – 4 credits*, while students who do not hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan – 8 credits*. Basic Jewish Studies must be completed by the end of the academic studies.

Alternative options: Students could opt for fulfilling their Jewish Studies requirements through the Institute for Advanced Torah Studies (men) or at the Midrasha (women). Each course at the Institute for Advanced Torah Studies or the Midrasha is equivalent to half a Basic Jewish Studies course. Students must verify that they fulfill the requirements.

It is the student’s responsibility to verify that they have fulfilled their Basic Jewish Studies requirements before graduation.

Students who took courses in Jewish studies or hold a degree in Jewish studies from a different academic institution equivalent to the number of credits required by Bar-Ilan undergraduate students, may submit a request to exempt them from Basic Jewish Studies. 
Guidelines for submitting a request for exemption from Basic Jewish Studies may be found here.

*For Details on the change in credit specification terminology look here