Graduate Studies

Degree Programs

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS)

• All Harvard Ph.D. programs (in Jewish studies) are under the auspices of departments in the GSAS. Applications for these graduate programs must be made through the departments and the admissions site of the GSAS.
• Several departments in GSAS offer graduate degrees in Jewish studies:
  • Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations: Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern studies, Rabbinics, medieval and early modern history and culture
  • Department of History: modern Jewish history and Israel studies
  • Committee on the Study of Religion: Hebrew Bible and Jewish studies 
  • Department of Comparative Literature: Hebrew and Yiddish literature
• Students working in the Departments of English, Germanic Languages, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Music, Philosophy, American Studies, and Government have also specialized in several aspects of Jewish studies.

Harvard Divinity School

• HDS offers many graduate programs of study, including:
  • Master of Divinity (MDiv)
  • Master of Theological Studies (MTS)
  • Master of Theology (ThM)
  • Master of Religion and Public Life (MRPL)
    • The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program is jointly offered by HDS and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Find detailed information about PhD fields of study and program requirements on the Committee on the Study of Religion website.
• Among its course-offerings, The Divinity School offers many courses in Jewish studies and Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, as well as courses cross-listed with the NELC department. For current offerings please see the Courses List.
• For further information on their application process and requirements, see the HDS Admissions website.

Harvard Law School

• The Julis-Rabinowitz Program on Jewish and Israeli Law at the Harvard Law School pursues excellence in the scholarly study of Jewish law, conceived as a dynamic religious system, and Israeli law, the legal system of a state formally committed to democratic and Jewish values. The two subject matters are studied as distinct while also taking particular interest in points of overlap and contestation and the competing claims they sometimes make on one another. The Program emphasizes methodological and ideological diversity and strives to present the full range of opinion and critique, internal and external, consistent always with the academic values of civility, openness, and mutual respect.
• With its resources, the program hopes to make Harvard Law School into a national and international leader in the study and analysis of Jewish and Israeli law from a broad array of scholarly perspectives. Several courses in Jewish and Israeli law are offered each year at HLS. For more information, please visit the Courses List (link to section on this page).
• HLS offers several degree programs:
• Learn more about admissions to the J.D. Program
• Learn more about admissions to LL.M. and
• Learn more about admissions to S.J.D. programs

Funding for Graduate Academic Research and Activities

• The Center for Jewish Studies, while not sponsoring graduate programs of its own, offers fellowships and stipends to Harvard graduate students (mostly through GSAS). Research grants and other funding support graduate research, travel and study. J-term and summer supplemental study and research grants are awarded on a competitive basis through formal applications during the fall and spring semesters. For further information please visit the Fellowships and Prizes page.
• The Center supports two graduate student-run workshops in Jewish studies. The Jewish Studies Workshop and The Hebrew Bible Workshop meet regularly and serve as a forum in which Harvard students from all schools can present their works-in-progress and exchange ideas with a community of students in the field. For more information about these student workshop groups, please contact cjs@fas.harvard.edu.