IU’s Borns Jewish Studies Program prepares our M.A. students with broad-based knowledge about Jewish history and cultures, exposure to multiple academic disciplines, and one-on-one design for the course of study. The Borns Jewish Studies Program does not offer a Ph.D. degree, but it supports a thriving Ph.D. minor program.

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The program is small and provides individually focused education and mentoring:

• Each student designs their own plan of coursework in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies each semester, and each develops a thesis project with the help of three faculty members of their choosing.
• The Jewish Studies Graduate Student Association (JSGSA) hosts an annual on-campus conference, which provides an excellent and friendly environment in which students develop their presentation skills, as well as their scholarship. hyperlink
• JSGSA also hosts regular workshops on aspects of professionalization for M.A. and Ph.D. students, especially those planning to enter academic careers. These workshops have included a variety of topics, such as how to make a conference presentation and how to use archives to conduct research.
• Graduate students regularly meet with our Director of Graduate Studies to discuss their intellectual and professional development.
• Ou program’s M.A. alumni have gone onto jobs in teaching, library work, the private sector, and Ph.D. programs in a variety of disciplines.