New Dual-Degree Program in Jewish Ethics and Public Health

 
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and Columbia University today announced a joint master of arts in Jewish Ethics and master of public health degree program, which will be offered at JTS’s Kekst Graduate School and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
 
“We are pleased to announce the launch of the Jewish Ethics and Public Health dual-degree program, which for the first time ever, offers students an opportunity both to develop and to evaluate public health services from the perspective of Jewish tradition,” said Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz, JTS Provost, Irving Lehrman Research Associate Professor of American Jewish History, and Sala and Walter Schlesinger Dean of the Gershon Kekst Graduate School.  “We are thrilled to launch this innovative program, which equips future professionals with the moral vision to identify issues of ethical concern in public health as well as the skills to design effective initiatives to resolve them. We encourage future scholars of this new MA/MPH program to bring to bear Jewish values in grappling with the many public health challenges plaguing our world.”
 
“This joint degree represents a continued commitment by Columbia Mailman School to combine the depth and breadth of expertise in two fields of study, to propel discovery, and educate the next generation of scholars to create research-based solutions at the juncture of public health and religion,” said Linda P. Fried, MD, MPH, dean of Columbia Mailman School. “Together with JTS we will pave the way for new research and engagement on complex issues facing theologians and public health professionals to benefit our schools, our country, and the world.”
 
Integrating an academic approach to Jewish studies and a multidisciplinary approach to public health, this program will provide graduates with the tools to identify moral issues in public health matters and to engage in ethical reflection rooted in Jewish tradition. Upon completion of the program, students receive both an MA in Jewish Ethics from JTS and a MPH from Columbia Mailman School.
 
This dual-degree program is the latest development in the long history of joint degree programs between JTS and Columbia University. The joint undergraduate program, which has been in place since 1954, allows college students to combine their studies at Columbia’s School of General Studies with a second bachelor of arts degree at JTS’s List College. The University offers a joint master of arts / master of social work program through the Kekst Graduate School and the Columbia University School of Social Work. JTS and Columbia University’s dual-degree programs provide future Jewish communal professional leaders with the essential knowledge, skills, and experience to meet the challenges of building and maintaining Jewish community and values in an increasingly complex world.
 
More information about the latest MA/MPH dual-degree program can be found at www.jtsa.edu/jewish-ethics-public-health.