Admission Requirements
Application
Start your process with Part 1 of our application. Once you submit Part 1, you are officially in our system as an applicant. You will soon receive email instructions for creating an account and moving on to Part 2.
In-Person Meeting
Before filling out Part 2 of the application, we recommend that applicants contact us to set up a conversation and/or a virtual visit. We would love to introduce you to a classroom experience and/or set up a chat with you and a student and/or professor. This will help you learn if the Zelikow School is a great match for you.
Full Application
This is the bulk of your application, which includes in-depth questions about your desire to pursue this professional degree. If you have already submitted Part 1, you should have received an email with login instructions for Part 2. You can return to edit this application at any time.
Personal Statement Essays
These two writing samples are your chance to share why the Zschool is the right place for you. You will upload these essays in the “Supplemental Materials” section of the application portal.
Personal Statement
We want to understand you better. We are looking for a well-written personal statement that addresses the following themes. Please do not exceed 7 double-spaced pages:
- Personal Background
- Jewish Identity
- Academic Background
- Work Experience
- Professional Goals
Short Essay
Please respond to one of the following prompts in succinct, well-written prose. Please do not exceed 3 double-spaced pages:
- Defend an unpopular opinion you hold of Jewish life and why you believe it is unpopular.
- You are the leader of an elite team funded with unlimited budget to solve a problem confronting the North American or global Jewish community. What would you choose and why do you believe it is worth investing community resources to solve it?
Supplemental Materials
Students applying for a degree are required to submit 3 letters of recommendation (2 for applicants to the Certificate). Please include at least 1 letter from each category below:
- Professional Recommendation: You are encouraged to select a current or previous supervisor of paid or volunteer work. Working applicants must submit a recommendation from a current supervisor unless otherwise approved.
- Academic Recommendation: This can be a college professor or instructor with whom you have engaged in serious academic study. If you have been out of school for 5+ years, adult or informal education instructors work too.
- Jewish Life Recommendation: This should be someone who knows you in the context of Jewish organizational/communal life. If you know a graduate of the Zschool, this is a great place to include them, but only if they know you well enough to comment meaningfully on your candidacy.
Transcripts
(From all past institutions of higher learning, whether or not they were degree-bearing)
Please have your schools mail the transcripts directly to:
Office of Admissions and Recruitment
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
3101 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45220
tward@huc.edu
GRE scores
Only required for candidates with GPA below a 3.0 from the previous degree-bearing academic institution.
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.
In-Person Interview
Interview with a panel of Administrators and Faculty of the Zelikow School. This allows you to present yourself “off the page”. The interview is also a chance to ask questions of various Zelikow School stakeholders. There is space on the application to indicate your availability.
Degree Requirements
Degree Expectations: The degree is conferred upon successful completion of a minimum of 34 credits and fulfillment of the academic requirements. Your individual course of study will depend on your professional interests and career objectives. Students with previous graduate school or extensive life experience in some cases may be able to count them toward their coursework with the approval of the director.
Course Requirements: 2 summers of the full Zschool course load in Nonprofit Management and Jewish Communal Dynamics.
Applied Learning: Create your education, your way. The following options are available to you for credit and towards the completion of your degree:
Fieldwork: An immersive experience in your existing Jewish nonprofit job, or in unique circumstances through a Jewish nonprofit fieldwork experience (internship).
Capstone Project: A two-semester experience in research methods, Human-Centered Design, and our business model accelerator for the Jewish nonprofit. In the first semester, students develop research on a challenge confronting the Jewish communal ecosystem. In the second semester, students participate in a Launchpad, which replicates the experience of a high-tech business accelerator in order to develop leaders who can innovate within existing organizations or launch their own startups. Capstone projects involve original research (such as surveys, interviews, observations, or analysis of existing data), provide hands-on experience in business model generation, and explore innovation protocols that have practical application.
Seminar in Global Nonprofit Innovation: The Windmueller Israel Seminar is a 2.5-week experience designed to explore challenges in Israel that take place at the fault lines of social justice and how nonprofits have developed creative and innovative ways to meet those challenges. The trip is offered every other year (odd-numbered years) and begins in mid-December. M.S. in Organizational Leadership and Innovation students may attend the Seminar at their own expense, . Occasionally, limited scholarships are available to support their participation in the Seminar.