About JCLP
Combining academic training in social work and Judaic Studies, hands-on engagement with contemporary communal challenges, and experiential training in non-profit management, JCLP students become active participants in the work of imagining and building a Jewish communal future.
- Course of Study and Program Requirements
- Communal Possibilities
- Program Funding
- Course Options
- Field Placement Options
- Faculty Advisory Committee
Program Funding
All students who are residents of Michigan will receive $5,000 per full-time semester (total of $23,500, since the spring/summer semester will constitute part-time enrollment). All non-resident students will receive $10,000 per full-time semester (total of $47,000). Additional merit awards and need-based financial aid are also available. All applicants are encouraged to apply for Wexner Graduate Fellowships. Applicants interested in working within the North American Jewish Federation system are encouraged to apply for FEREP scholarships.
Communal Possibilities
University of Michigan Jewish Communal Leadership Program graduates will be prepared to lead Jewish communities and organizations in addressing the opportunities and challenges presented by 21st-century Jewish life. They will be ready to work at the local, national, or international level within Jewish agencies dedicated to serving communal needs, to influencing and representing Jewish viewpoints, to creating opportunities for service, and to advancing social change. In a range of roles including those of program developer, coordinator, evaluator, and director; organizer of community outreach and development; and agency executives and director, they will be leaders in connecting the Jewish community to the varied social, religious, racial, and ethnic communities that make up our complex multi-cultural society and world.
Course of Study and Program Requirements
The Jewish Communal Leadership Program is a five-semester program conducted over 20 consecutive months and includes a winter/fall field placement and an intensive field placement in the spring/summer term after the first academic year. Jewish Communal Leadership Program students
- Earn a masters of social work (MSW) degree consisting of 45 graduate-level academic credits and 15 credits of professional field placement experience in a non-profit setting.
- Select the Community and Social Systems Practice Area with a Practice Method Concentration in either Community Organization or Management of Human Services. Students receive additional training in business and management competencies, and have the option of minoring in Interpersonal Practice.
- Earn a Certificate in Jewish Communal Service and Judaic Studies, requiring a total 15 credits of Judaic Studies courses (a mixture of undergraduate and graduate courses depending on level of previous study; some credits may overlap with MSW credits).
- Have the option of serving on the governing board of a Jewish nonprofit organization as a participant in the University of Michigan Nonprofit and Public Management Center's Board Fellowship Program and participate in accompanying management seminars.
- Pursue immersive local, national, or international social work field placements with change-making Jewish organizations during the spring/summer semester of their program.