Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies, known simply as List College, is the undergraduate school of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS). It was founded by

Solomon Schechter Solomon Schechter ( he, שניאור זלמן הכהן שכטר‎; 7 December 1847 – 19 November 1915) was a Moldavian-born British-American rabbi, academic scholar and educator, most famous for his roles as founder and President of the ...

in 1909 as the Teachers Institute with the original goal of training American Jewish educators. List College is closely affiliated with

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

; almost all List College students are enrolled in dual-degree programs with either

’s School of General Studies or

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbi ...

History

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law co ...

of JTS, Solomon Schechter established the Teachers Institute as the undergraduate division of the seminary in 1909. The primary goal of the Teachers Institute was to train young Jewish educators. A

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

school from its inception, the Teachers Institute was one of the few places in the country where women could study Judaics on a collegiate level.

Mordecai Kaplan Mordecai Menahem Kaplan (born Mottel Kaplan; June 11, 1881 – November 8, 1983), was a Lithuanian-born American rabbi, writer, Jewish educator, professor, theologian, philosopher, activist, and religious leader who founded the Reconstructioni ...

served as the school's first dean; his leadership and vision led to early successes. In 1931 a second undergraduate division, the Seminary College of Jewish Studies, was established for the education of Jewish lay-leaders. In 1953, the scope of List College was greatly broadened by the establishment of a joint program with Columbia University, enabling students to simultaneously earn two bachelor's degrees—one from each school. A similar program for women only was created in conjunction with Barnard College in 1979. The Seminary College of Jewish Studies-Teachers Institute was renamed the Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies in 1986 in honor of a philanthropic donation to JTS. Students who attend List College today represent a wide spectrum of religious backgrounds, with many reasons for attending the program. While the original intention of the Teachers Institute was to train young Jewish educators, List College students pursue a variety of career paths upon completion of the program.

Academics

List College grants a degree of

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in twelve formal Judaic Studies majors ranging from

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of ...

to Jewish Women's Studies. Students may also design their own interdisciplinary majors with institutional approval. The vast majority of students concurrently pursue a second B.A. from either Columbia University or Barnard College—dual-degree programs entitled the Joint Program and the Double Degree Program respectively.List College Academics

References

External links

List College Website

Jewish Theological Seminary of America Website
{{authority control Jewish Theological Seminary of America Columbia University Universities and colleges in Manhattan Educational institutions established in 1909 1909 establishments in New York City Education in Harlem

History

Academics

See also

References

External links