ISAAC BREUER COLLEGE OF
HEBRAIC STUDIES (IBC)
Isaac Breuer College of Hebraic Studies
provides a rich undergraduate course of study for students seeking an
advanced, structured yet flexible, comprehensive, and intensive program
in the major areas of Jewish learning, such as Talmud, Bible, Hebrew
language and literature, Jewish history, Jewish philosophy and ethics,
and Jewish law. The program attracts students interested in a broad
range of Jewish studies in addition to Talmud studies.
The school was named in 1982 in recognition of a major gift by the late
Hermann Merkin and his wife, Ursula, in memory of her father, Isaac
Breuer. The College is the successor of Teachers Institute for Men,
1917–66, and Erna Michael College of Hebraic Studies, 1966–82. IBC is
located at the Wilf Campus and benefits from its association with
several of the university’s other schools and their educational
resources as well as from the wealth of public and private educational
facilities in New York City. Faculty and students alike seek to create
an atmosphere that provides and promotes the highest standards of
ethical conduct and scholarship in the achievement of personal and
professional goals.
A wide range of courses provides valuable training in the utilization of
primary sources, research methods, and independent work. IBC also
provides career preparation for those interested in Jewish education,
ordination, or graduate Hebraic or Semitic studies. Its rich offerings
in other areas qualify it as a preparatory program for both ordination
at the affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and for
advanced graduate study at Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish
Studies and the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and
Administration.
Isaac Breuer College curricula may lead to a Hebrew Teacher’s Diploma
and the degrees of Associate in Arts, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of
Science. Accredited by the National Board of License for Hebrew
Teachers, it is a member of the American Association of Hebrew Teachers
Colleges.
IBC maintains intensive personal counseling contacts with each student;
periodic evaluations examine all factors bearing on his success in the
program.
Admission
To qualify for admission, a student must be a graduate of a Jewish
all-day high school or have completed the equivalent work. Candidates
also may be considered for Early Admission. All prospective students
meet with the dean for admission and placement purposes.
Students must register for at least 12 credit hours within the program
each semester. The cumulative index of these courses will transfer as 3 HES credits in the student’s college record.
Required Courses
The following courses in Hebrew language, literature, and culture are
required of all students:
BIB 1015 plus three additional Bible courses, two of which must be text
courses numbered above 2000
HEB 1205 and 1206
JHI two courses from
1200,
1300,
1400
TAL four semesters
JUD/JPH two semesters
CURRICULUM
ASSOCIATE IN ARTS
Degree Requirements
A. Course and credit requirement: Successful completion of the courses
required of all students as listed previously, and five additional
courses distributed as follows: one semester of BIB and four more
elective courses chosen from
JHI,
JPH and
JUD.
B. Residence requirement: Full-time residency at Isaac Breuer College at
least four semesters.
C. Grade requirement: A minimum cumulative average of 2.0 (C).
D. Administrative requirement: The prior or simultaneous receipt of a BA
or BS degree from Yeshiva College or Sy Syms School. Each student must
have filed an Application for Degree during the registration period of
the semester in which he completes all requirements.
SCHOOL
REGULATIONS
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all their scheduled class sessions and
to be present promptly at the beginning of the hour, unless prevented
from doing so by illness or other compelling cause. A record of each
student’s class attendance is kept by the instructor.
A student’s attendance record may be taken into account when determining
his status in the University. Continued unexcused absences will result
in the student’s being dropped from the course with a grade of G, which
may lead to probation or academic dismissal from the college.
Permission to register late in a course does not in itself excuse the
student’s absence from classes already held.
HEBREW TEACHER’S DIPLOMA
Students seeking a Hebrew Teacher’s Diploma must complete the course and
credit requirements of all IBC students. In addition, after consulting
with their faculty advisor, a course of study will be devised, which
will include courses in education and psychology in conjunction with the
Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration.
Holders of the Hebrew Teacher’s Diploma will receive, on application to
the National Board of License for Hebrew Teachers and/or regional
licensing boards, a license to teach in schools under the jurisdiction
of those boards.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE
Majors and Minors
Students may select majors or minors from among the following:
Bible,
Hebrew,
Jewish history,
Jewish philosophy,
Judaic studies,
Talmud.
Degree Requirements
Students must complete the course and credit requirements as previously
listed for all students, and additional courses in Hebrew language,
literature, philosophy, and ethics as determined by a faculty advisor.. Students may fulfill their degree
requirements by taking courses at the
Bernard Revel Graduate School of
Jewish Studies or the
Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and
Administration; a minimum of half the required credits, however, must be
taken at Isaac Breuer College.
BACHELOR OF ARTS
The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts program is to prepare students to
serve as teacher-scholars of Hebrew and cognate subjects for grades
7–12. It is open to select students who possess a comprehensive
knowledge of Hebrew, are strongly motivated to enter the field of
education, and are prepared to undertake a rigorous curriculum. Students
who complete the program are awarded a Hebrew Teacher’s Diploma in
addition to the Bachelor of Arts degree.
Degree Requirements
The same residence, grade, examination, and administrative requirements
apply here as for the Bachelor of Science, with the additional
requirement of courses in education and psychology, which will be taken
in conjunction with the
Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and
Administration and the
Bernard Revel Graduate School of
Jewish Studies,
as determined by a faculty advisor.