Program Requirements

Students are required to take a minimum of 69 credits in total.

At JTS, 24 credits are taken, to which 6 credits are transferred from Columbia University's School of Social Work (CUSSW). In order to fulfill The Graduate School and program requirements, a student may need to take additional Judaica and Hebrew language courses prior to graduation.

At CUSSW, a minimum of 45 credits must be completed—depending on the method of concentration—to which a maximum of 15 credits are transferred from JTS. Fieldwork is an integral part of the total educational experience at CUSSW, providing students opportunities to use the theoretical content learned in courses.

Course Requirements

Additional Requirements for Graduation

All students in The Graduate School are required to demonstrate a basic level of Judaica competency in addition to the courses they take toward their master's degree. In their first year, all students must complete a two-semester course, Classics of the Jewish Tradition, or demonstrate proficiency in this area. Students who have not studied the Hebrew Bible or Talmud with a scholarly approach and who have not yet acquired proficiency in Hebrew at an intermediate level will be required to fulfill these requirements before graduation, according to Graduate School procedures. Students in the dual-degree program must also fulfill a liturgy requirement or demonstrate corresponding proficiency.

The social work program at CUSSW provides an integrated course of study that offers a combined approach of classroom and field instruction. Depending on their particular interests, students are admitted into one of four different method areas. Depending on the area of concentration, students must complete a minimum of 45 credits.

In order to meet the requirements of any of these method areas, students must take the practice courses in the core sequence, four terms of fieldwork, and the required background courses. Jewish Studies and Social Work students are exempt from taking T660A–Human Behavior and Social Environment and the second-year field-practice core course requirements.

Methods of Concentration

• Social Enterprise Administration: Emphasizes building knowledge, skills, and values in administering programs
• Advanced Generalist Practice and Programming: Emphasizes direct practice; community practice; movement from case to cause; development of innovative and responsive social programs and program resources
• Policy Practice: Emphasizes policy analysis and advocacy
• Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice: Emphasizes assessment, intervention, and evaluation within a field of practice

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Program Highlights

Social Work Seminar
Every other week students participate in a seminar that focuses on different aspects of their work in the Jewish community, and synthesizes what they are learning at JTS and CUSSW. Speakers and case presentations bring ideas, ethics, and social responsibility to life. Students participate in planning the topics and themes for the seminar.

Israel Seminar
This seminar, which takes place in Israel, focuses on the complexity of social, religious, political, and economic issues in Israeli society; the changing relationship between Israel and world Jewry; and the challenges North American Jewish communal professionals face in interpreting and integrating Israel into their work. This seminar is typically conducted on alternating years and students contribute $1,000, while the remaining costs are covered by several Jewish institutions and organzations.

Site Visits to Jewish Communal Agencies
With its location in New York City, the program takes advantage of the rich resources of the city's vibrant Jewish communal network of agencies. Biannual site visits to national and international agencies give students the opportunity to meet with key professionals in the field, and explore the most current issues facing their organizations and the Jewish community at large. Student input into the selection of agencies and the themes to be explored is essential to the success of these visits.

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Length of Study

The program can be completed in as little as two years and no summers, or any combination up to three years. The length of time depends on the student's requirements at JTS and method of concentration at CUSSW.