Graduate Program in Jewish Studies
at the AshkenaziumGet started today
Start your application or request more information about this program.
Apply Request info Schedule a callMaster of Arts
Standard European MA accredited by Hungarian Ministry of Education
Taught in English
By top-notch professors from the US, Israel and Europe
Start any time
New seminar starts every 3 weeks
2 Years
20 courses, each 24 class hours
€4000 per annum
Scholarships available for students coming to Budapest
Individual Courses
€400 per seminar, €40 for auditors
Deepen and broaden your understanding of Judaism with the best scholars from the US, Israel & Europe
You know enough about Judaism to know that you need to know more. Whether your Jewish education ended too soon or is just getting started, in the meantime you have developed your intellectual and scholarly skills in other fields and you’re ready to tackle Jewish texts and ideas in a thoughtful, systematic, scholarly manner. The Ashkenazium curriculum will fill your knowledge base of Judaism from its biblical origins to its contemporary life. But no less importantly, the Ashkenazium professors will teach you how to study Jewish texts and teachings independently.
Learn
- how to analyze difficult texts from the Bible, Talmud, Midrash, Kabbalah, Rabbinics, Machshevet Israel, Jewish literature and historically impactful texts written by Jewish intellectuals
- about movements in Jewish history, classical Jewish themes, and essential systems of Jewish thought
- how to write a graduate-level analytic essay
- enough Hebrew and Yiddish to be able to read texts with a lexicon at hand & to hold yourself in a basic conversation
Use your degree
- to acquire a teaching position in Jewish Studies
- to solidify your CV in applying for any job in the Jewish community: agencies, newspapers, social media, museums, synagogues, youth organizations, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, etc.
- to enable yourself as a writer and speaker on Judaism
Applications ongoing
Apply anytime, enroll anytime, join classes anytime Check the calendar to see when the next seminar begins
Three-step application process
- Fill out online application
- Interview with the dean
- Scan and send in ID, diploma(s) and transcripts
Questions? Please contact the Registrar by emailing chighel@ashkenazium.eu

Prof. ELLIOT R. WOLFSON
Rabbinics | Kabbalah
Prof. SUSANNAH HESCHEL
Intellectualism | History
Prof. HENRY ABRAMSON
History
Prof. PAUL FRANKS
Intellectualism | Philosophy
Tuition & Costs
For the MA Degree tuition is €4,000 per year (€8,000 total)
Fee per seminar course
For a single seminar the cost is €400 (either in person online). For Hungarian citizens, the tuition fees are waived.
Fee per seminar for online auditors
For auditing a single seminar the cost is €40. Online auditing excludes interactive participation, course assignment and credit
Finacial aid
A limited number of partial scholarships are available for students who demonstrate need and/or scholarly achievement in the past. No scholarships are available for online participation.

Ongoing Application
You can apply and be accepted to the Ashkenazium program any time of year. You don’t need to start at the beginning of a semester either at the beginning of the year or in the middle of the year. Thanks to the fact that the entire MA curriculum is structured according to seminars each of which typically runs over a 9-day period, an incoming student starts her or his program with the next seminar course. As soon as the student has accumulated 120 credits, at whatever pace, she or he will have completed the MA degree requirements and will be awarded a diploma at the end of that semester.

External Credits & Accelerated Degree
The policy of the Ashkenazium with regard to accepting credits from other comparable university Jewish Studies programs is markedly open. If the credits fall in line thematically with, and meet the scholarly standards of, the Ashkenazium curriculum, the Ashkenazium can accept external credits adding up to ⅔ (80 credits) of its MA program (120 credits). In principle, therefore, it is possible to complete the Ashkenazium MA program in less than 7 months.
Request more information
If you would like to receive a concise and informative fact sheet about the Ashkenazium MA programme, please submit your email below: