Jewish Studies

Welcome to the Department

of Hebrew and Jewish Studies


University College London houses the largest department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies in Europe. The department is the only one in the UK to offer a full degree course and research supervision in Jewish Studies at the BA Honours, MA, MPhil and PhD levels in every subject of Hebrew and Jewish Studies - philology, history, and literature - covering virtually the entire chronological and geographical span of the Hebrew and Jewish civilisation from antiquity through the Middle Ages to the modern period. Degrees can be completed on a full- or part-time basis.

HJS values its reputation as one of the most JYA (Junior Year Abroad) friendly departments at UCL.

The department acts as host to both the Jewish Historical Society of England (JHSE) and the Institute of Jewish Studies (IJS), which organises annual public lecture series and international conferences on all aspects of Jewish civilisation. As the first university to open its doors to Women, Roman Catholics and Dissenters, UCL was also the first to admit Jewish students. This traditional link of the College with the Anglo-Jewish community is very much alive today.


Excellent RAE ResultsMany may have been surprised to discover that UCL—once known as "that Godless institution on Gower Street"—was now generating a great deal of high quality research in Religious Studies. This has been taking place within Hebrew and Jewish Studies, submitted as a small but dynamic unit of assessment to the Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies sub-panel in the 2008 nation-wide Research Assessment Exercise. With an average point score of 2.90, with 70% of its submission rated "world leading" (30%) or "internationally excellent" (40%), with its Research Environment rated 100% "world leading" (70%) or "internationally excellent" (30%), and its Esteem Indicators rated 100% "world leading", the Department has achieved one of the best results both within UCL and nationally, where it ranks third (a position it shares with Oxford and Cambridge) out of 38 units of assessment throughout the UK.


Postgraduate Research StudentshipsThe Faculty of Arts and Humanities intends to offer five postgraduate research studentships (for students working towards a PhD) for the academic year 2009–2010.
Three one-off studentships, open to all students, shall have a value of £5,000 and are tenable for ONE YEAR.
Two studentships for overseas students shall have a value of £6,500 per annum, and are tenable for TWO YEARS, subject to a progress review at the end of year one.
For more information, please download the Information for Applicants.




New CourseThe department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies is delighted to launch a new course, The Secularisation of Jewish Culture in the Modern Era. The course examines the secularisation of Jewish society and culture from the 17th century on, focusing on underlying social change, political trends and ideologies, as well as on the cultural expression of secularism in language, literature and film. It reviews the careers of pivotal thinkers who have helped shape this development, and examines the response to the change of religious Odthodoxy.

The course, funded by the Posen Foundation, will run throughout the academic year on Tuesdays, 9–11 in Foster Court, room 331. This course is open to students from other UCL Departments and various universities as well as to the general public.