The Hebrew and Yiddish subdivision offers a PhD program in Jewish Languages and Literatures. The program offers a philological, historical, and critical approach to Yiddish and Hebrew literatures. More information about the program, requirements, and exams can be found in the Hebrew and Yiddish Subdivision Handbook.

How to Apply

Find application dates, materials, and key information on the Admissions page.

Admission Prerequisite

Language proficiency in either modern Hebrew or Yiddish (determined at the admission stage). 

Requirements

The PhD program in Jewish Languages and Literatures requires of all students to take at least four graduate seminars (or their equivalent) within the section of Hebrew and Yiddish at MLL. In addition, students are required to take at least four Jewish Studies courses offered outside of MLL. By the end of their second year, students will have completed 12 seminars for credit. If needed, students will continue to enroll in advanced language courses. 

QUALIYYING EXAMINATION

The purpose of the Qualifying Examination is to develop and demonstrate an informed, panoramic and critical perspective on primary and scholarly sources in the field of Jewish Languages and Literatures. At the beginning of their fourth semester, students will identify two areas (guidelines below) and write an abstract (around 1 page) of each. After the abstract has been discussed with program faculty and finalized, the student and the faculty examiner will both write one question or prompt for each abstract. Abstracts will be submitted in the middle of the fourth semester to the faculty examiner. Students then will (at their own pace) write four separate essays (12-15 pages long) responding to and elucidating each one of the four questions/prompts. All essays must be submitted at the beginning of the student’s sixth semester.

PROSPECTUS

The dissertation prospectus should be 5-8 pages long, offer a statement of the problem to be addressed and a rationale for its importance, situate the dissertation within existing scholarship, and provide a brief sketch of the chapters as well as a first bibliography.

Fourth and Fifth Years

The fourth and fifth years of the program are devoted entirely to the dissertation. Students who have successfully fulfilled all degree requirements are relieved of all teaching responsibilities in the fourth year and encouraged to go abroad to conduct dissertation research. Further information on degree requirements can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook.

Teaching

Teacher training and teaching practice are an essential part of our graduate program. Supervised teaching is required of degree candidates, in every year but the first and the fourth.