Jewish studies (M.A.)

Why Jewish Studies?

The Master of Arts in Jewish studies is a liberal arts program that offers students immersion in Jewish classics and humanities as well as comprehension of the scope of the Jewish experience. Graduates of this program typically go on for a PhD degree or seek employment requiring a depth of Judaic knowledge. The program consists of a six-course core sequence and a major in one of six fields: Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Civilization, Rabbinic Literature, Jewish Thought & Mysticism, Jewish History, Contemporary Jewish Studies or Hebrew Language & Literature.

Graduates of this program typically stay in academia and pursue advanced degrees in areas such as Archaeology, Rabbinics, Biblical History or Languages. Alumni serve in different roles all over the world including a librarian at the Technion in Israel, excavators on archaeological digs and a professor of Ancient Civilizations at a university.

Why Towson University?

There is simply no better place to pursue a graduate degree in Judaic Studies. Towson University is ideally located just minutes from Baltimore City, Pikesville, Owings Mills, and Reisterstown. Students seeking internship and employment opportunities benefit from a vast local network of Jewish communal organizations, non-profit agencies, synagogues, community centers and day schools. Students can also look forward to becoming part of a well-organized community, enriched by the agencies of the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.

Towson University’s Baltimore Hebrew Institute represents our commitment to providing support for the education and training of Jewish educators, scholars and communal professionals who exemplify excellence in their chosen fields. Through Towson’s BHI, students enrolled in Judaic Studies graduate programs have access to a variety of special programs and social activities, as well as scholarship and fellowship opportunities.

Faculty

The shining strength of the Master of Arts in Jewish studies is its eminent faculty. The roster of professors includes prominent educators with credentials in a dozen key areas of Jewish scholarship, as well as authors of notable works about the politics of Israel and the Middle East; Jewish literature; Jewish philosophy; Jewish mysticism; the American Jewish community; American Jewish history; biblical and rabbinic texts; and the archaeology of Israel. Faculty members coordinate archaeological excavations in Israel, lecture worldwide, and are invited to conferences and public discussions of the major challenges facing Israel, American Jewry, and Jews throughout the world.