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Master of Public Administration and and Jewish Theological Seminary Master of Arts

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MPA and MA
30 SIPA credits, 24 JTS credits

Curriculum Overview

The program will be completed in two-three years depending on the number of JTS Graduate School prerequisites a student completed before enrollment.

The MPA program at SIPA is taught in the case method, combining the “hands-on” applied approach influenced by the disciplines of the social sciences.  MPA curriculum for a MPA/JTS dual degree student includes a standard set of courses (21 points), a workshop (3 points) and a summer internship (0-6 points). The JTS course work takes the place of the 15 credit concentration usually required of an MPA student, but dual degree students may opt to use their electives to construct a concentration.

SIPA Core Requirements

Dual-degree MPA/JTS students must complete the following SIPA core courses:

  • U6110 Politics of Policymaking (4 credits)
  • U8200 Public Management (3 credits)
  • U8213/U8216 Microeconomics and Policy Analysis I/II (6 credits)
  • U6310 Quantitative Techniques (3 credits)
  • U4040 Professional Development (1 credit)
  • U9013 Internship (0-6 credits)
  • Financial Analysis Requirement:
    (students must take one of the following courses)
    • U6416 Budgeting for Non-Profits (3 credits)
    • U8201 Budgeting for Government (3 credits)
    • U6014 Accounting for International and Public Affairs (3 credits)
    • U6022 Economics of Finance (3 credits)
  • Capstone Courses:
    (students must take one of the following courses)
    • U9000 MPA Workshop or Concentration Workshop (3 credits)
    • U9300/9301 Public Policy Clinic (6 credits)

MPA Concentration Requirement

JTS courses fulfill the concentration requirement, and any additional courses beyond the core completed at SIPA count as electives. 

JTS MA Graduate School Curriculum

The JTS curriculum includes a concentration (at least 15 points) and an enrichment component (up to 12 points).  The MA in Judaic Studies has two components:

1) 24 credits towards the master’s degree which includes:

  • Two courses in American Jewish social history (6 credits)
  • One course in either modern or medieval Jewish history (3 credits)
  • One course in analyzing contemporary issues in the Jewish community using traditional texts (ethics/philosophy) (3 credits)
  • Israel seminar (3 credits)
  • Three electives (total 9 credits)
  • Four semesters of an integrating seminar (non-credit-bearing).

2)  The Graduate School pre-requisites and program pre-requisite as required (up to 39 additional credits).

Sample Curriculum

The following link will open a PDF file with possible variations of the programs of study.

Sample Curriculum (PDF)

Tuition, Fees and Financial Aid

In any single semester, a dual degree student is a considered full-time student at either SIPA or JTS with part-time enrollment at the other school. The tuition structure in this split arrangement is outlined in the sample curriculum. The school where the student is enrolled full-time serves as the administrator of that student’s financial aid and/or fellowship support in that semester.

Advising

Although students are enrolled full-time at one school or the other in any given semester, they should contact the administrative advisor at both schools at least once per semester to ensure that their study and enrollment plans are cleared by the administration. 

Jewish Theological Seminary Contact Information

Jewish Theological Seminary
(212) 678-8000
http://www.jtsa.edu/  

Office of Admission
http://www.jtsa.edu/graduate/admissions/  

Office of Financial Aid
http://www.jtsa.edu/campus/finaid/   

JTS Faculty and Administrative Contacts:

Bruce Nielsen, Assistant Dean, The Graduate School
3080 Broadway; New York, NY 10027
212-678-8024
bnielsen@jtsa.edu         

Maud Kozodoy, Assistant Dean, The Graduate School
3080 Broadway; New York, NY 10027
212-678-8088
makozodoy@jtsa.edu                                                                                

SIPA Contact Information

School of International and Public Affairs
http://sipa.columbia.edu/

Office of Admissions
408 IAB, (212) 854-6216
http://sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/admissions/index.html

Matt Clemons, Director, Admissions
mc2793@columbia.edu

Office of Career Services
420 IAB, (212) 854-4613
http://sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/career_services/current_students/index.html

Meg Heenehan, Director
mh374@columbia.edu

Office of Student Affairs
612 IAB, (212) 854-8690
http://sipa.columbia.edu/resources_services/student_affairs/index.html

Office of Financial Aid
Claudio Vargas, Assistant Director, Financial Aid        
csv3@columbia.edu

SIPA Faculty and Administrative Contacts:

Robert Lieberman, Associate Professor
School of International and Public Affairs
420 W118th Street, CB#3323; New York NY 10027
212-854-4725
rcl15@columbia.edu

Caroline Kay, Assistant Dean
School of International and Public Affairs
420 W118th Street, Room 1432; New York NY 10027
Phone:  212.854.8690
cck11@columbia.edu