Undergraduate Degrees

This Jan. 16, 2019, photo shows cooking pots adorned with menorahs in an outdoor stall near Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou in southern Morocco. The North African kingdom once had a thriving Jewish population. Jews of Moroccan descent return often in heritage tours. (Leanne Italie via AP)

Degree programs

A degree in Jewish Studies provides a strong foundation in which to launch a career in a world of diverse identities, ethnicities, languages, and narratives.

Completion of a degree in Jewish Studies demonstrates critical thinking, cultural literacy, and historical analysis of the Jewish people, their history, and their impact on the human experience. Preparing you for success in a multicultural world, graduates of the KU Jewish Studies program go on to find employment in academics, business, social-services, law, public policy, international business, medicine and professional spheres within Jewish agencies, federations, congregations, and community centers.

One of the oldest academic interdisciplinary studies, the Jewish Studies Program offers diverse and extensive course work focusing on the spectrum of the Jewish experience. With a strong foundation in Jewish religion, history, and culture combined with the exploration of the global impact of Judaism on political, social, and cultural movements, a degree in Jewish Studies is valuable to those interested in professional pursuits as well as those seeking to continue their academic careers.

Major in Jewish Studies

The Program in Jewish Studies offers an undergraduate major (B.A. in Jewish Studies) and minor, Departmental Honors (both by research paper and by service learning), and courses in Jewish Studies, Hebrew, and Yiddish; we also co-sponsor courses in many other units, especially Religious Studies and History, Global and International Studies, and Political Science. Among our several focus areas are Jewish history and culture, Judaism, Holocaust studies, Israel Studies, Jewish languages and narratives, and applied service in Jewish organizations.

Students who choose to complete the B.A. in Jewish Studies often find employment working in Jewish education, non-profit organizations, outreach, and other areas where knowledge of Jewish languages, history, and culture is an asset. The Jewish Studies B.A. is easy to combine with other majors and/or minors within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

Jewish culture and religion have flourished in a rich variety of forms and in remarkably disparate places on the globe for thousands of years. Jewish contributions have deeply affected the art, languages and literature, law, philosophy, and political thought, and the sciences of all nations. The global impact of Jewish culture thus warrants its study as an important component of the liberal arts curriculum at KU. The Jewish Studies Program at KU is the only such program in the state of Kansas. Its mission, therefore, is to celebrate the Jewish experience and promote the understanding of its cultural importance with courses and academic programs that focus on the history, diversity, culture, languages, thought, and practices of the Jewish people and their religion.

To learn more about degree requirements, visit the KU Academic Catalog.

Minor in Jewish Studies

The minor in Jewish Studies provides undergraduate students with an opportunity to gain basic knowledge in Jewish Studies, with required coursework in areas of Judaism as well as Jewish History and Culture. Students will also take Jewish Studies electives in their areas of interest. The Jewish Studies minor is a great complement to a variety of majors, due to its interdisciplinary nature and flexibility.

To learn more about minoring in Jewish Studies, visit the KU Academic Catalog.