M.S.Ed. Degree in Religious Education: Jewish Education

This full time, 14 month M.S.Ed. degree program is designed to prepare teachers to become reflective, collaborative, critically thinking teachers for Jewish secondary day schools. It builds on a nationally recognized Jewish studies program in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences and a nationally recognized, urban-focused teacher education program that prepares visionary teacher-leaders in Penn’s Graduate School of Education.

There are four critical components of the program in Jewish Education. (1) It is closely linked to the Graduate School of Education’s M.S.Ed. degree program in secondary education, which incorporates field placements for all students throughout their year of coursework in addition to foundational and content-specific methods courses in education. (2) The unique feature of the Jewish education track is a sequence of courses designed to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to teach Jewish primary sources (in the original and in translation) as windows into Jewish culture and civilization. (3) Students take electives in Jewish Studies in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences to deepen and enrich their knowledge of Jewish primary sources. (4) An Israel experience serves as the culminating experience of the 14 month program.

Student teaching placements are carefully selected to provide meaningful experiences that are integrated with the coursework of the student. During the summer, students work in volunteer placements with adolescents, and during the year are placed in a Jewish secondary day school for the full year. This allows student teachers to gradually take on increased teaching responsibility in a familiar school environment over time.

The Graduate School of Education envisions the development of other tracks in the religious education program, perhaps a track in Islamic education and one in Christian education. A central focus of the religious education program will be a seminar for all three cohorts that will address critical issues in religious education within diverse societies, a seminar that will be open to students from across the University.

Graduates of the program in Religious Education: Jewish Education will assume teaching positions at day high schools and middle schools across the spectrum of denominations to teach text-based Jewish studies. These graduates will also be positioned to assume teacher leadership roles as curriculum writers and Jewish studies coordinators in these schools, following their initial classroom teaching positions in the field.

Program of Study
The program is designed for students with strong academic backgrounds in Jewish studies. The program prepares creative and reflective teacher leaders, and it places particular emphasis on the teaching of text-based Jewish studies for day schools. The program follows a cohort model and requires that students participate on a full-time basis, beginning in mid-July and finishing the following August. In the initial summer term, students take foundational courses in curriculum development and pedagogy of teaching text. In the fall term, Jewish studies electives and half-day student teaching help students connect theory and practice. In the spring term, students do more intensive student teaching, and take courses that expand their knowledge base for making curriculum and teaching decisions. The final summer term provides students with additional content specific methods courses and a cohort Israel trip. Instructional technology is integrated throughout students’ coursework. 

Because of the interdependence of the program's coursework and fieldwork, students may not transfer education course credits from other graduate programs. Graduate courses in advanced study of Jewish text may be transferred, after meeting with an advisor and receiving faculty approval.

Courses

Summer
EDUC 554 Teaching and Learning in Urban Contexts
EDUC Teaching Methods in Jewish Ed: History and Modern Thought
EDUC Teaching Methods in Jewish Ed: Bible
EDUC Teaching Methods in Jewish Ed: Rabbinics

Fall
EDUC 577 Interactional Processes with Adolescents
EDUC 515.004 Field Seminar: Secondary Education (with student teaching)
EDUC Critical Issues in Religious Education Across a Diverse Society
One GSE elective
One Jewish Studies elective

Spring
EDUC 555.004 Advanced Field Seminar
Two Jewish Studies electives
One GSE elective

Summer
EDUC Israel Seminar

About Certification
This program can provide faculty recommendation to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) for provisional instructional 1 certification in the following secondary education areas: English, social studies, math, world languages, and sciences. Students who are interested in qualifying for certification should discuss this with their advisor. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis, pending students’ ability to satisfy PDE pre-requisite course requirements.

Application Prerequisites
In order to qualify for this unique 14 month program in Secondary Education: Jewish Education, students must have completed the following courses in college, or must demonstrate the equivalent proficiency from a similar academic program:

• one course in general Jewish Studies
• one course in advanced Hebrew conversation
• one standard, college level Jewish text course in any area
• one intensive Jewish text course (text studied in its original)

Additional consideration will be given to students who have completed the equivalent of an undergraduate major in the academic area in which the student wishes to focus her or his teaching (Bible, Talmud, History, Jewish Thought). All secondary education applicants’ transcripts are reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the pre-requisite course requirements have been satisfied.

Application Requirements

• Penn GSE Application
• Application fee
• GRE scores
• Resume
• Personal statement of purpose
• Three letters of recommendation
• Academic transcript(s) from all undergraduate and graduate institutions
• Personal interview after a preliminary review of the application credentials

Application Deadline
The Jewish Education program accepts students on a rolling admissions basis. Admission is for the summer term only. The program begins in early June.

Program Faculty
Karen G Reiss Medwed, Ph.D., New York University

For more information please contact us or call 1-877-PENNGSE (763-6473)