Department of Israel Studies
The Ruderman Program for American Jewish Studies
Faculy of Humanities I University of Haifa
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Course Structure & Admission Requirements - General Information
The courses are based on independent study and attendance at classes and seminars.
Admission requirements:
Applicants must have a relevant bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Israel or abroad with a grade average of 86 or above; they must also be fluent in English. Applicants must pass an interview.
Applicants who do not meet the departmental course prerequisites will be required to enroll in additional ourses that will be determined by the head of the program and by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
Structure of the program
Participants will be enrolled in Israel Studies department, which, upon graduation, will confer the master’s degree with a major in American Jewish Studies.
Track A (The thesis track)
- 8 courses (32 weekly academic hours). The student will write term papers for two of them.
- A course in methodology and historiography training (4 weekly hours).
- A second foreign language (8 weekly hours, at begginers and advanced levels)
- A thesis
The thesis
A. Students will propose a thesis topic, which would then be subject to the approval of the adviser from the home department (Israel Studies or Jewish History) during the first year.
B. The thesis proposal must be submitted to the MA committee in the student’s home department. Before the proposal is approved, the student must complete their two term papers and get a grade of at least 85 on each.
C. The thesis must be submitted within three years of enrollment.
Track B (The non-thesis track)
- 9 courses (36 weekly hours). The student will write term papers for three of them.
- Final exam.
The final exam
A. Students in Track B will sit for a thematic final exam. The topics to be covered on the test will be determined by the program’s steering committee.
B. In accordance with the departmental regulations governing master’s degrees, the passing grade on each of the components of the final exam is 70. A student who does not pass the final exam (a grade that is lower than 76 as a weighted average of all the test’s components) will be allowed to retake the test. The supplemental test will include all the components of the first test.
Students who get a grade that is below 70 in any of the final exam components will have to retake a test on those components.
C. There are two dates for the final exams each year. A student can take the exam on either date, after submitting all his papers and other course requirements, by registering in advance.
Students’ final grades will be tabulated as follows:
Non-thesis track:
Final exam - 30%
Two seminar papers - 40%
Course participation (short term papers) - 30%
Thesis track:
Thesis dissertation - 60%
Two seminar papers - 24%
Course participation (short term papers) - 16%
Admission requirements:
Applicants must have a relevant bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in Israel or abroad with a grade average of 86 or above; they must also be fluent in English. Applicants must pass an interview.
Applicants who do not meet the departmental course prerequisites will be required to enroll in additional ourses that will be determined by the head of the program and by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
Structure of the program
Participants will be enrolled in Israel Studies department, which, upon graduation, will confer the master’s degree with a major in American Jewish Studies.
Track A (The thesis track)
- 8 courses (32 weekly academic hours). The student will write term papers for two of them.
- A course in methodology and historiography training (4 weekly hours).
- A second foreign language (8 weekly hours, at begginers and advanced levels)
- A thesis
The thesis
A. Students will propose a thesis topic, which would then be subject to the approval of the adviser from the home department (Israel Studies or Jewish History) during the first year.
B. The thesis proposal must be submitted to the MA committee in the student’s home department. Before the proposal is approved, the student must complete their two term papers and get a grade of at least 85 on each.
C. The thesis must be submitted within three years of enrollment.
Track B (The non-thesis track)
- 9 courses (36 weekly hours). The student will write term papers for three of them.
- Final exam.
The final exam
A. Students in Track B will sit for a thematic final exam. The topics to be covered on the test will be determined by the program’s steering committee.
B. In accordance with the departmental regulations governing master’s degrees, the passing grade on each of the components of the final exam is 70. A student who does not pass the final exam (a grade that is lower than 76 as a weighted average of all the test’s components) will be allowed to retake the test. The supplemental test will include all the components of the first test.
Students who get a grade that is below 70 in any of the final exam components will have to retake a test on those components.
C. There are two dates for the final exams each year. A student can take the exam on either date, after submitting all his papers and other course requirements, by registering in advance.
Students’ final grades will be tabulated as follows:
Non-thesis track:
Final exam - 30%
Two seminar papers - 40%
Course participation (short term papers) - 30%
Thesis track:
Thesis dissertation - 60%
Two seminar papers - 24%
Course participation (short term papers) - 16%