The Dual Master of Educational Leadership (MEdL) and Master of Art in Jewish Learning (MAJL) degree program aims to bridge the needs of today’s students with graduate studies that will most effectively prepare change-makers and meaning-makers for the field of Jewish education. The centerpiece of the degree is a two-year paid part-time (20-25 hours per week) graduate residency in selected Jewish educational institutions which function as living laboratories enabling students to gain meaningful leadership experience while experimenting with intrapreneurial educational design and change management. In these learning laboratories, our graduate residents:
Students who complete the HUC-JIR Year in Israel (YII) program and immerse in a more extensive exploration of Jewish language, land, literature, and liturgy, within an educational analytical framework that explores how people learn about these subjects in Jewish contexts may earn an additional degree, a Master of Arts in Jewish Learning (MAJL).
Students who wish to complete the MAJL will need to meet the Hebrew entrance requirements for the HUC-JIR Year in Israel. In addition, they may choose to take additional Hebrew courses on their home campus to count toward completion of the degree.
The MAJL degree may only be earned in conjunction with the Master of Educational Leadership, as it builds on the foundation of the MEdL. With the foundation of the Year in Israel course of study, students in this track will be eligible to take Judaic studies courses that are offered in the rabbinic program and will be required to have a Judaic text, history, Israel, or language component in their capstone portfolio.
Admission Requirements
Preliminary Consultation with an Admissions Counselor
As part of the application process to the HUC-JIR School of Education, we require that you speak with a professional in the Office of Recruitment and Admissions. This informal, preliminary consultation is a way for us to get to know you better and make sure you are taking the right steps in preparation, and for you to ask your questions to ensure that this is the right time for you to apply.
The Application
Please submit all elements of the application by the application deadline.
Portfolio Sample
Please submit a sample of your work in Jewish education for which you are particularly proud and/or from which you learned a valuable lesson. For example, this may be a lesson plan, a program outline that you designed, a D’var Torah, or a video of you in action from any Jewish educational setting of your choosing. For example, you can share with us a detailed description of a religious school lesson that you created and taught, a learning session that you created for a group of campers at a summer camp or in your Hillel, a video of you teaching, a song session that you led or an art activity you facilitated.
Short Essays
As you craft your answers to these questions, please consider the following guidance. These short essays are an opportunity for you to give the admissions committee a sense of your goals, aspirations and what you hope to learn in the program. The more we can get to know you in the application process, and the more we know about your strengths, interests, and desired growth areas, the better equipped we will be to match you in a residency that can be tailored to you and your professional, intellectual, and spiritual growth. Your essays will be uploaded within Part 2 of the application as one document.
- Autobiography of a Jewish Educator (Up to 1500 words, double-spaced) Share the story of 2-3 moments, experiences, or relationships in your life that have guided you to become a Jewish educational leader. What or who has inspired you?
- Overcoming a Challenge (500-1000 words, double-spaced) Share with us a challenge that you have faced that has also spurred your growth as a person and a leader. How have you worked to overcome that challenge, and what have you learned about yourself and your leadership in the process?
- Hopes and Dreams (1000 words, double-spaced) What do you aspire to achieve as a Jewish educational leader? Share a vision of where you hope to be in 5-10 years and explain your motivation. In your answer, include reference to any ideas, books, texts, works of art, or theories that guide you; and the burning issue(s) in Jewish life and/or society that motivate you. What is the change you hope to lead or the vision you hope to create?
- What do you hope to gain from the concurrent MAJL degree? How do you imagine it will benefit you personally and professionally? What experiences do you hope to gain living and studying in Jerusalem? (two paragraphs)
Resumé
Please include a resumé that focuses on your academic and professional accomplishments, awards, honors, publications, and any significant leadership positions in which you have served.
Letters of Recommendation
One Academic Reference and One Professional Reference. You are also encouraged to request a third Judaic Reference (This third recommendation is not absolutely necessary if your academic or professional reference is also a Jewish educational leader or rabbi).
Transcripts
Please request transcripts at least four weeks before the application deadline to allow time for them to be sent to HUC-JIR. Transcripts need to be received in order to schedule an interview. Please provide us with one copy of an official transcript from all of the following:
- 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 course for transfer credit.)
- 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 studies. (If grades from international programs are recorded on your college transcript you do not need to submit a separate transcript.)
Have your schools mail the transcripts directly to:
Office of Recruitment and Admissions
Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion
3101 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45220
mwaldron@huc.edu (if sent electronically)
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.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Scores:
- Candidates who meet one of the following criteria are exempt from submitting GRE scores with their application:
- Completion of an undergraduate (Bachelor) liberal arts degree with a GPA of 3.3 or higher;
- Prior degree from HUC-JIR; or
- Completion of a Ph.D. or Master’s degree (post-Bachelor) from an accredited institution.
Candidates who do not meet one of these criteria are required to take the GRE. Please use the school code number 1291 when requesting your score report be sent to HUC. This directs the results to the Office of Recruitment and Admissions. For GRE information, please see www.ets.org/gre.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Scores:
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. The TOEFL school code for HUC-JIR is 1291.
Schedule Your Visit (Optional):
Visiting our Los Angeles campus is an important step for prospective students and applicants exploring our programs, and we are delighted to be able to support those considering HUC-JIR by reimbursing up to $250 of pre-arranged travel expenses. We encourage you to be in contact with our office to plan your personalized visit or register for an open house. A campus visit provides opportunities to build skills, study text and get a taste of student life at HUC. You’ll have the option to join a class and continue connecting with students and faculty.
Financials
| Annual Tuition |
$28,500 |
| Student Activity Fee (Full-Time) |
$35 |
Degree Requirements
Master of Educational Leadership
The course of study for all students weaves together five strands of expertise:
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Teaching and Learning (9.5 credits)
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Aims and Aspirations of Jewish Education (4.5 credits)
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Leadership (16.5 credits)
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Labs in Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Jewish Education (Teaching of Specific Content Areas) (4.5 credits)
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Capstone Seminar (2.5 credits)
Students are also required to take a total of 15 credits in Judaic Content.
Total Credits: 52.5
Master of Arts in Jewish Learning
Course requirements for this degree are:
- Year in Israel/First year courses (18 credits)
- 2 additional Labs in Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Jewish Education electives beyond the MEdL requirements (3 credits)
- Judaic and/or Hebrew courses given in the Rabbinical School (6 credits) double-count for MEdL
- Teaching and Learning (4 credits) double-count for MEdL
Total Credits: 31 credits
Capstone Project
The goal of the MEdL Capstone project is to enable students to develop and demonstrate deeper levels of expertise in a specific area of Jewish Educational Leadership. Each student will create a project that requires them to apply the knowledge, themes, principles, skills, and experiences they have learned in their coursework and residency to the creation of an authentic example of their work. Students, in consultation with their Faculty Tutor and the Capstone Seminar Instructor, will choose from among seven (7) Capstone project options. Each option is similar in scope and size. The final product of each option has been designed to be an authentic representation of the student’s learning and work in that area. So, while each project may, in the end, look very different, they each require students to do similar amounts and types of work.
In the final year of the MEdL program, students will participate in a Capstone Seminar (EDU 591 and 592) which will function as a braintrust/working group with fellow students where they will develop, refine, and improve upon their work in the process of developing their Capstone project.
Detailed descriptions of each Capstone project option and the protocols for completing a capstone are distributed to MEdL students at the end of their first year in the program.
Clinical Education: The Graduate Residency
Clinical Education is an integral part of the School of Education, and the graduate residency is its focus. The graduate residency is modeled in part after the role of laboratory schools in the education field and teaching hospitals in medical training. With the support and assistance of the Director of the Master of Educational Leadership Program, each student interviews with and is hired by an approved graduate residency partner institution. Residency matches are made in organizations that are living laboratories led by master educators who are also skilled supervisors and mentors, and who are excited about this vision and committed to elevating their practice and cultivating the next generation of Jewish educational leadership. Residency organizations are at the cutting edge in thinking about Jewish education, value innovation, play, & experimentation, and are committed to building true interpersonal connections amongst their constituencies.
These institutions partner with HUC-JIR in creating a robust, hands-on graduate and leadership experience where students can learn skills that must be developed in authentic experiences outside the academic classroom. Partner institutions may include congregations which house a variety of educational offerings (such as day school, supplementary school, adult education, pre-school, and day camp); day schools; educational non-profits/agencies; camps. Applicants to the MEdL program may petition to create their own unpaid graduate residency where they develop an educational startup under Faculty Tutor supervision. A faculty member must “sponsor” the student by vouching for their academic and professional merit and promise. This option is a pilot and highly selective.
Each student will be mentored in their graduate residency by a Clinical Faculty Mentor (CFM). In most residencies, the CFM will also serve as the student’s supervisor. In some settings, a separate day-to-day supervisor will be identified.
The Master of Educational Leadership Graduate Residency Program Description, distributed to students upon admission into the program, describes the matching process, host institution and CFM criteria, educational goals and learning outcomes, and formative review procedures that are elements of clinical education at School of Education. Students should read the Program Description thoroughly and should consult it as needed during the year(s).
Advising: Faculty Tutors
Each year a student is enrolled in the School of Education they are assigned a Faculty Tutor. The Faculty Tutor is a member of the School of Education teaching faculty. The Faculty Tutor’s task is to support and challenge the student’s progress in all areas related to the student’s academic, professional and leadership development. In order to do this, the Faculty Tutor meets with the student on a biweekly basis throughout the school year. Course credit is earned each semester for this component of the MEdL curriculum (EDU 650 Supervised Leadership).
Meetings with the Faculty Tutor may be held individually or in small pods with the other students who have the same tutor. Individual meetings are tailored to each student’s particular questions and needs. Tutoring pod meetings may address some of the shared challenges Tutors see across the pod. The Faculty Tutor engages in many activities, which may include the following:
- partnering with the student’s CFM in formulating, finalizing, and assessing the student’s progress through their Learning Contract;
- partnering with the student’s CFM on completion of two (2) Pedagogy Practica (EDU 593 and EDU 594);
- curating the creation of the student’s Capstone portfolio;
- discussing the student’s progress in Judaica and professional courses;
- discussing larger issues in Jewish education;
- discussing the student’s future career plans and how best to prepare for the future;
- listening to the student’s perception of how they are performing in their residency;
- giving feedback, based on firsthand observation of the student in various settings (at Hebrew Union College and elsewhere);
- critiquing materials the student has produced at their residency;
- challenging the student’s ideas on issues related to current or future professional functioning;
raising problems related to the student’s ability to function as a professional, and suggesting avenues for addressing those problems;
- supporting the student during difficult times, and if applicable directing the student to appropriate mental health professionals;
- listening to the student’s perception of academic or professional problems they are having, supporting the student when appropriate, and challenging when appropriate.
These various actions support the student, stimulate their personal and professional growth, and challenge the student to develop wider perspectives and deeper insights. Students should bring any problems they are having or challenges they are facing to their Faculty Tutor.
Participation in Jack H. Skirball Campus Community T’fillot
Students are required to demonstrate T’fillah leading proficiencies in the times and places where T’fillah authentically occurs in their residencies and on campus among their peers and faculty.
Participation in services at the Jack H. Skirball Campus is an important part of the academic, professional, and religious education offered at the School of Education and serves as a safe learning ground for developing T’fillah leading skills.Thus, students in the MEdL Program are required to:
- Serve in the roles as service leader (shlichut tzibur( once a year during a Monday or Thursday T’fillah
- Read from the Torah once a year during a Monday or Thursday T’fillah
- Give a D’var Torah once a year during a Monday or Thursday T’fillah
- Students may also volunteer to take on any of these roles on additional days or at additional times during the year.
Students in the one-year Clergy-Education program may volunteer to lead services during the year.
Plan of Study
First-Year
The program begins at the start of in early July and culminates in mid-May of the following year. Year-in-Israel priorities include the following:
- An understanding of the structure of the Hebrew language which will serve our students in mediating between the sources of Judaism and the North American Jewish community.
- An encounter with Israel which leaves the students informed, enthused, and energized about the challenges of statehood and the implications of peoplehood.
- The acquisition of basic textual skills which allows the successful continuation of studies in the U.S.
- An exploration of the students' religious and spiritual identities, with special emphasis on Reform Judaism.
- The provision of professional skills and the encouragement of a self-consciousness as future Jewish professionals within the community.
Studies are full time with classroom study 5 days a week, Sunday thorough Thursday, divided between core courses and, professional courses, and worship. and a weekly First Year Seminar. Other requirements include week-long intensive, tefillah, inquiry groups, field study trips,advisory, end-of-year colloquium.a mid-year colloquium, and community service project.
Second-Year Fall Intensive
| EDU 571 | Creating a Culture of Learning | 1.50 |
Second-Year Fall
| EDU 572 | Introduction to Pedagogy and Pedagogical Planning | 2.00 |
| EDU 577 | Designing Educative Learning | 2.00 |
| EDU 581 | Professional Learning and Instructional Leadership | 2.00 |
| EDU 591 | Capstone Seminar | 1.00 |
| EDU 650 | Supervised Leadership | 2.00 |
Second-Year Spring
| EDU 573 | Understanding Learners | 1.50 |
| EDU 580 | Entering an Organization | 1.00 |
| EDU 583 | Leading Change in Jewish Education | 3.00 |
| EDU 586 | Teaching for our Times | 1.50 |
| EDU 651 | Supervised Leadership | 2.00 |
Third-Year Fall
| EDU 578 | Charting the Future 1 and 2 | 3.00 |
| EDU 585 | Leading with Integrity: The Human Side of Leadership | 1.50 |
| EDU 591 | Capstone Seminar | 1.00 |
| EDU 594 | Pedagogy Practicum | 0.25 |
| EDU 650 | Supervised Leadership | 2.00 |
Third-Year Spring
Others
Co-Curricular Programs
The School of Education MEdL program provides a rich combination of academic, professional, and religious programming to enrich the professional learning community in formal and informal learning. Full participation in these programs is expected. Students who are unable to participate must communicate conflicts in advance. Specific dates will be announced by the summer preceding each academic year.
- The Sara S. Lee Seminar is a 24-hour retreat focused on the presentation of a guest scholar who brings their expertise in issues related to the American Jewish community to bear on Jewish education. The retreat held every other fall includes services and other opportunities to forge the Rhea Hirsch School of Education learning community. The “Sara Seminar” is named for Sara S. Lee, the long-time Director of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education. It is sponsored by the School of Education Alumni Association.
- The Cutter Colloquium is a 24-hour retreat designed around the teaching of a guest scholar, the Diane Luboff Scholar-In-Residence, who brings their expertise in education to bear on Jewish education. The retreat is designed to frame the year and begin to foster the professional learning community of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education. The Cutter Colloquium is named for the Founding Director of the Rhea Hirsch School of Education, Dr. William Cutter. The retreat is sponsored by the School of Education Alumni Association and endowed by the family of Diane Luboff.
- The Dr. Michael Zeldin Alumnus-in-Residence Program brings an outstanding alum of the School of Education to campus for 2-3 days of programming every year. The alum is selected by their peers for outstanding achievement as a Jewish educator. Typically, alumni teaching will include co-curricular seminars, participation in leading t’fillah and/or delivering the D’var Torah, and teaching in several MEdL classes. The alum is also available to meet individually with education students for 1:1 mentoring and networking. The Dr. Michael Zeldin Alumnus-in-Residence Program is sponsored by the RHSOE Alumni Association.