Concentration in Jewish Classical Education
The Tikvah M.A. program offers online classes and select in-person courses.
Required M.A. courses are available as high-level online seminars, making it possible for students from across the country and around the world to join. We also offer an annual in-person summer intensive course focused on the foundational ideas of Jewish classical education, providing an intellectual and social retreat with peers. Students design and deliver model lessons in a workshop setting with their peers and teachers, offering practical preparation for bringing classical content and pedagogy into the classroom.
A Master’s Program with a Flexible Schedule for Students
Students can choose between part-time or full-time study options, with a flexible schedule designed to accommodate working educators and other professionals.
Full-Time Study
1-2
YEARS
Part-Time Study
2-4
YEARS
M.A. Coursework
Students have the option of (i) a 30-credit course of study plus a thesis worth six credits or (ii) a 36-credit course of study without a thesis. Students participate in University of Dallas graduate courses, as well as special courses and seminars designed for the Jewish Classical Education track and taught by Tikvah professors.
Required Courses
- Trivium
- Quadrivium
- Philosophy of Education
- Classical Pedagogy: Ancient and Modern
- Jerusalem and Athens
- Three courses from the “Great Works” series: Medieval, Renaissance, Modern
(This requirement can be waived for students who demonstrate a sufficiently strong background.)
Possible Electives
- Elementary and Middle School Education Through a Jewish Lens
- Tanakh and the Formation of Western Civilization
- Teaching Midrash and Talmud with Western Civilization in Mind
- Hebrew Immersion for Elementary School Students
- Plato and Socratic Conversation
- Teaching Great American Speeches
- Teaching Classical Children’s Literature
- Classical Pedagogy in the Science Classroom
- A World Destroyed and Rebuilt: Jewish Education after the Holocaust
Language Requirement
- Students will be required to demonstrate reading knowledge in at least one of the following languages: Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, German, Italian, or Russian.
Thesis
- Students will have the option to write a master’s thesis in Humanities, under the direction of a professor. An approved master’s thesis will count for six credits towards the degree’s required 36 credits.
Comprehensive Exam
- All students are expected to pass a comprehensive exam.
Practicums
- Our classical education program includes a flexible and optional practicum component. Under the direction of a faculty member and working with a mentor teacher at the teacher’s own school or a classical school, students can design and implement a custom project which puts the principles learned in the M.A. seminars into practice. In addition to this apprenticeship, students can benefit from connecting with a professional network of teachers, programs, schools, and leaders in classical education.
Summer Intensive
- Students will participate in intensive in-person summer courses in the New York City area, Jerusalem, or another chosen location. These courses will provide an opportunity for learning focused on the foundational ideas of Jewish classical education with peers from across the country. Students will also design and deliver model lessons in a workshop setting with their peers and teachers, preparing them for the classroom in practical ways. Previous courses have included “The Art and Practice of Teaching Culture in a Jewish Context” and “Liberation from Vulgarity: Cultivating a Love of Beauty in Our Students.” Past intensives have been held at Mount Holyoke College and Princeton University.
Excellent Educators
Students have the opportunity to study under a roster of experienced educators and scholars. Meet some of the top instructors who are part of this program.
Take the Next Step
Sign up for more information on Tikvah’s Master of Arts in Humanities
