By nature interdisciplinary, and emphasizing critical thinking and global engagement, the Jewish Studies major is flexible and adaptable to a wide variety of courses of study. Students in the major must complete a total of thirty (30) credits, at least fifteen (15) of which must be at the 400-level. No more than eight (8) credits of Hebrew may count toward the 30-credit total. All students in the major must complete JST 10, an introduction to Jewish Civilization, and select from approved lists or in consultation with the Director three courses that address Jewish studies across its history:

• one course in Jewish Studies of the Ancient through the Medieval periods,
• one course in Jewish Studies of the Early Modern through the Contemporary periods, and
• one course in Jewish Studies of the Diaspora.

All students in the major are particularly encouraged to participate in a relevant internships, education abroad programs, and/or archaeological fieldwork for which course credits and scholarships are available. Penn State students also may enroll to study abroad at a university in Israel, and up to 15 credits of related education abroad courses in any country may be applied to requirements for the major in consultation with the adviser.