MA Jewish Education

Summary & Key Features

Whether you are a school leader, school teacher, school governor, rabbi, youth leader or community educator, this degree programme aims to support you in rising to the challenges of educational leadership – offering new pedagogical insight, innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and a network of like-minded colleagues. The MA Jewish Education offers you the chance to pursue advanced academic study and professional development.

The MA Jewish Education aims to equip students with a professional development qualification which assists them in their careers, and which may lead to new opportunities in teaching[HM1] and research.

Successful completion of the course will lead to the award of one of the following qualifications from Middlesex University:

• MA Jewish Education
• MA Jewish Education (Leadership and Management)
• MA Jewish Education (Teaching and Learning)
• MA Jewish Education (Community Education)

The detailed requirements for each award are explained in the MA Jewish Education Programme Handbook, which you will have access to once you have been offered a place on the programme.

Why study at LSJS?

Founded under its original name of Jews’ College in 1855, LSJS has a proud history of training rabbis and teachers and of offering degrees in Jewish studies, Jewish education, and related subjects. Its alumni include Emeritus Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks who is both a graduate and a former principal of the College.

Jews’ College re-branded as LSJS in 1999 and has subsequently offered a range of degree and educator development programmes. In addition, since 2002 it has provided high-level adult education programming, and continues to offer outstanding and varied learning opportunities to the wider Jewish community. In recent years LSJS has renewed its emphasis on its original goal of training rabbis and other educators. The ordination of rabbis was resumed in partnership with the Montefiore Foundation in 2012, and from 2011 LSJS became a centre for the training of up to 50 teachers a year, providing the community’s schools with proficient and qualified staff.

When you enrol on a degree programme with LSJS, you will be taught by highly qualified, internationally renowned faculty members who are actively engaged in research and in publishing both for lay and academic audiences. Lecturers in Jewish Studies and Jewish Education Studies include Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum, Dr Helena Miller, and Dr Tamra Wright. Lecturers in Education Studies and Educational Leadership also include Dr Mario Moya and Dr Steve Lambert.

LSJS is situated at the heart of the Jewish community in Hendon, north-west London. You will have access to the Marc Weinberg Community Library (home to many rare and precious manuscripts) which has been renovated to provide a state of the art learning environment. Please see below for further details.

You will experience a warm, nurturing and friendly environment at LSJS in which you will be encouraged to grow and develop, both academically and professionally.
 

The LSJS Library

As a student on this degree programme, you will automatically become a full member of the LSJS library, one of the most extensive Judaica libraries in Europe, being home to over 70,000 volumes. You will have access to the library’s reading room, which is open five days a week, in addition to computer terminals and free wifi. From the computer terminals you can use up-to-date Judaica software owned by the library, such as the Bar Ilan Responsa Project and the Otzar HaHochma Digital Mega Library.

You will also have access to two comprehensive collections of online databases:

1. Education Research Complete – a collection of over 2000 full-text publications covering a wide variety of areas related to Education
2. Jewish Studies Source – a collection of over 400 full-text publications covering a wide variety of areas related to Jewish Studies

The MA Jewish Education will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of educational theory and practice, with particular focus on the specific challenges and questions that arise in the context of a Jewish educational setting.

The course is structured part-time over 2 years. Students who register for distance learning will primarily study in their own time, using the carefully curated resources provided on our virtual learning environment (www.moodle.lsjs.ac.uk) and will also participate in several live webinars for each module. Students who register to study on campus will attend weekly lectures.

What will I learn?

The course is delivered over two years to allow you develop your knowledge and skills at an appropriate pace. Each year, you will undertake up to 90 credits. To graduate with an MA, you will need to earn a total of 180 credits. The dissertation is worth 60 credits and all taught modules are worth 30 credits each.

In the first year you will be expected to take two compulsory modules, “Jewish Education: Traditional Sources and Contemporary Issues”, and “Teaching and Learning in Jewish Education”, followed by an optional module in your third term. Optional modules offered will include one or more of the following:*

• “Leadership and Management in Jewish Education”
• “Pedagogy of Jewish Studies”
• “Adult Jewish Education”

In the second year, you will develop your independent research skills. You will choose an optional final module, which includes an introduction to research methodology and requires you to undertake a 5,000 word case study. Finally, you will complete a 15,000 word dissertation. Optional modules offered in the second year will include one or more of the following:*

• “Advanced Leadership and Management in Jewish Education”
• “Informal Jewish Education”
• “Models of Jewish Education: Historical and International Contexts”

*Please note that not all optional modules are offered every year, and this may affect your chosen area of specialisation. Optional modules are also subject to minimum registration numbers.

We welcome applications with a wide variety of educational qualifications and experience. All applicants will need to demonstrate familiarity with the ethos of Jewish education, and the ability to read biblical Hebrew.

You will normally have completed a first degree with higher second class honours (i.e. “2:1”) above) or above (i.e. 2:1 or above), or an equivalent qualification. In exceptional circumstances, applicants who do not have these qualifications, but have extensive experience working in Jewish education and/or a strong background in traditional Jewish text study (for example, rabbinic ordination or extensive period of study in a seminary or yeshiva) may be invited for interview and asked to submit written work as evidence of their potential to embark on postgraduate level studies in Jewish education. Students whose first language is not English will need to show proficiency through submission of written work and at interview.

Accreditation of Prior Learning

You may be eligible to apply Accreditation of Prior Learning for some of the credits required for a degree award. For further details, please contact Dr Tama Wright.

Completion of the MA Jewish Education should enhance your career prospects in ways which are specific to your particular field. Whether you are a school leader, teacher or school governor you could be expected to progress to more challenging professional and voluntary roles in Jewish schools. Rabbis, youth workers and other communal professionals may move to more senior roles in the community. This degree is also good preparation for a doctoral programme in a related area of study.

As well as preparing students for furthering their educational career, the MA Jewish Education helps to develop skills which are relevant to a wide variety of careers and transferable to many types of profession. These skills include:

• Problem solving
• Teamwork
• Oral and written communication
• Independent research
• Familiarity with and application of information technology

The MA Jewish education is designed to provide graduates with a strong foundation of knowledge and skills that will allow them to progress their careers and/or pursue research in education, Jewish education or related fields.

Tuition Fees

The annual MA tuition fees for all new UK/EU students registering during the 2018/19 academic year will be £3,015 (£1,005 per 30 credit module). Non EU fees will be £3,531 (£1,177 per 30 credit module). Your tuition fees may increase by up to 3% per year.

Fees for students enrolling in September 2019 and January 2020 will be confirmed by 29th March 2019.

Accreditation of Prior Learning Fees:

If you successfully apply for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL), you will additionally be invoiced for £500 per 30 credit module that you APL, and you will not pay tuition fees for these modules. these modules. There is also a processing fee of £100 for the APL application. When you receive your acceptance offer, you will be asked to pay a non-refundable deposit of £200 to secure your place. The deposit will be deducted from your tuition fees in your final term of study.

Other Expenses:

LSJS does not charge any other additional fees. However, you will need to allow for the costs of books and other learning materials, and to ensure that you have access to reliable information technology facilities. You will be expected to buy core texts for each module. In most cases, this will be limited to two books per module, however some modules will require a larger number of relatively inexpensive books. You will also need to pay a subscription for membership of online databases that are a course requirement. You should allow up to £200 per year for database subscriptions, books and other learning materials.

Please also bear in mind that you will need a suitable computer and internet access, particularly if you are studying via distance learning.

If you are unable to access the LSJS library on a regular basis, you may wish to take out membership of an academic library closer to your home, and if so you should also bear the potential cost in mind. However, many resources are available online, and we expect that students who do not have access to a local academic library will nevertheless be able to complete all of the requirements of the course.

Bursaries:

A small number of bursaries are available for this course for students in financial need. For more information please contact the academic and teacher training administrator Jane Clist by email.

To apply, please complete the MA Application Form and send back to LSJS (FAO Jane Clist) or email it to Jane.

Please consult the entry requirements [link] prior to application. Please contact the programme leader, Dr Tamra Wright, if you have questions about your eligibility for the programme.

The following deadlines apply for 2019 entry:*

*Although late applications may sometimes be accepted, we strongly encourage you to apply before the deadline.

Minimum Enrolment

Please note that any offer of a place on one of our degree programmes will be made subject to minimum enrolment numbers. We will notify you no less than six weeks before the start of term if the minimum enrolment target has not been achieved, to advise you of your options.

Additionally, all optional modules are subject to minimum enrolment numbers.

Academic Regulations

The MA Jewish Education programme abides by Middlesex University Regulations, which are available online.

Complaints

If you have a complaint about the programme, either prior to or after enrolment, please refer to the LSJS Student Complaints and Grievance Procedures.