The Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council Document, Nostra Aetate, tells us that people look to their religious traditions for answers to the most profound questions of human life:

“What is humanity? What is the meaning, the aim of our life? What is moral good, what sin? Whence suffering and what purpose does it serve? Which is the road to true happiness? What are death, judgment and retribution after death? What, finally, is that ultimate inexpressible mystery which encompasses our existence: whence do we come, and where are we going?” (NA1).

To study different religions, one’s own and those of others, is to attain a window on the deepest cares, hopes, aspirations, and anxieties of one’s fellow human beings across time and culture. It is to begin to grasp the complexities and subtleties of human culture where religious questions are always tied in with philosophical, political, aesthetic, economic, and ethical concerns. Learn more about the department »

Our faculty conduct internationally recognized research and innovative, technologically-enhanced instruction. Grounded in practical experience but exploring the frontiers of their disciplines, they define the nature academic excellence.

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The Jewish-Christian Studies Program awards the Master of Arts degree (36 credits) and graduate certificate (12 credits) in Jewish-Christian Studies. The curriculum covers all aspects of the relationship between Jews and Christians - their respective values and traditions. Studies build critical academic bases for understanding Christians and Jews historically and phenomenologically. A Jewish-Christian critical awareness will equip graduates for many facets of interreligious and multicultural encounters. Courses are rooted in the study of sacred texts in their historical and socio-religious world context, utilizing critical methods to promote an honest and in depth analysis of the individuals and communities that produced them. Courses examine the religious, ethical and social issues that are central for understanding Christians and Jews today through cross-cultural and phenomenological studies and dynamic analysis. The program is ideally suited for teachers in public, private and parochial schools; education and ecumenical administrators; clergy and seminarians; as well as generalists who seek the means to explore Jewish and Christian studies.