Target audience

The program is designed for outstanding students with bachelor's degrees from any discipline. We seek ambitious graduate students with high leadership potential, who seek to acquire the scholastic, research, and analytical skills needed for policymaking in the public and third sectors. The program is especially well-suited to individuals planning a career as public servants, or in positions that require advanced training in research and policy analysis.

 

Scholarships

Excellence scholarships are awarded in the first year of the program to students with the strongest academic and professional records, subject to terms and conditions. Other competitive scholarships are available throughout the program.

 

Admission requirements

Prospective students should hold a bachelor’s degree with honors in any subject. In addition, the application requires academic and/or professional letters of recommendation, and a summary of past academic and public activities. Candidates who meet the course requirements will be invited for a personal interview.

 

The purpose of the program

The Feher MA Program strives to develope broad-minded, responsible, and creative public leadership. The program combines interdisciplinary research with graduate level courses, and is intended for the enrichment and professional training of senior staff in the civil service, local government, and other public bodies.

The program provides graduates with the ability to examine public policy issues from a variety of perspectives, and to implement abstract ideas in concrete contexts. In order to achieve these goals, special emphasis is placed on courses that combine the theoretical basis of the main disciplines related to public policy with a practical and interdisciplinary approach to problem solving.

 

The curriculum

The program consists of three components:

- Practical policy analysis that provides the toolbox and methodological knowledge required for analyzing problems and possible solutions in public policy issues.

- Qualitative and quantitative training in policy research for analyzing processes of change and development in public policy.

- Multidisciplinary training designed to develop an integrative understanding of social, economic, political, and legal processes.

 

The degree program is completed over two years with all classes being concentrated on one day per week. It is possible to register for the MA in a research (thesis) or non-research track. Graduates will be awarded a Master of Arts in Public Policy.

 

MA - Leadership Program

About the program

The graduate leadership program at the Federmann School of Public Policy and Government is designed to provide students with the most advanced theoretical and empirical research tools required by managers in the public service. The program is an excellent springboard to leadership positions, and we are proud to contribute to the development of human capital in the public sector.  

The program is especially well-suited for the unique challenges and needs of a career in the public sector, and places an emphasis on policy analysis and organizational and personal leadership. Students are typically mid-career professionals who are in mid or high-level management positions in the civil service, local governments, non-profit organizations, or governmental organizations. The primary goal of the program is to develop leaders in the public service who will initiate policy and change in their respective fields.  

The program focuses on connecting the world of research and theory to actual application and practice. The coursework is designed to develop critical thinking in policy analysis, and to provide the professional language required in policy leadership positions. The program encourages the highest levels of civic service consciousness, all while exposing participants to the unique multicultural facets of Israeli society, and creating a diverse network of graduates who cooperate and coordinate in their various public roles.

Program courses are delivered through workshops, field visits and tours, outdoor training, simulations, and case studies. In addition, and in the framework of a comparative policy course, there is an option for a unique study tour abroad. The tour includes meetings with senior policy makers in the public sector, the civil service, and the local government of the host country.

The program's students are carefully selected and study in a small, high-quality framework. The format of study emphasizes teamwork, workshops, and peer dialogue which address policy issues arising from the field, and allows for the implementation of the material studied in real-life scenarios.

The leadership program maintains a highly prestigious reputation, and offers a unique set of opportunities for its participants. The program's contents focus on leadership and implementing change in public organizations, and are based on long-term experience in honing leadership in Israel. The course instructors include highly renowned lecturers in the fields of public policy, political science, economics, urban planning, law, communications, and other related fields, as well as facilitators specializing in leadership development.

 

Admission requirements

• An undergraduate degree recognized by the Israeli Council for Higher Education with an average of at least 80

• Cumulative mid- or high-level management experience of at least 5 years in the public sector

• Proficiency in the English language. Candidates who have not been granted an exemption (‘ptor’) from studying English by the university will be presented with options for studying English during the program.

• Applicants who meet the threshold conditions will be invited to a screening workshop. Attending and passing the workshop is mandatory for being admitted to the program.

 

Program Secretary: 
Telephone: 02-5881934
e-mail: exmpp@savion.huji.ac.il

Departmental Secretary: 02-5881533

PhD – Doctoral Studies

 

 

There are two tracks for admission to doctoral studies in our school:

 

1. Research student

2. Complementing student (pre-doctoral track for students without a completed MA thesis)

 

Application for doctoral studies:

The administration and application process for PhD students at the Hebrew University is organized by the Authority for Research Students. The Authority for Research Students publishes admissions deadlines every year, which usually fall on the 1^st of July for the first semester, and on the 31^st of December for the second. Following the deadlines, the Authority for Research Students forwards all applications to our school. The school admissions committee meets to discuss potential candidates twice a year, following the deadlines for each semester. The Authority for Research Students contacts applicants directly with notice of acceptance or rejection.

Registration and application forms can be downloaded from the authority’s website: http://www.research-students.huji.ac.il/

For general inquiries, you may contact the staff responsible for coordinating research students in the Faculty of Social Sciences:

Ruth Nidam, telephone: +972-2-6584759

Keren Nacass-Mualem, telephone: +972-2-6584706

 

Academic requirements and prerequisites

For applicants with an academic background in public policy:

1. A master’s degree in public policy.
2. An average of at least 85 (or its international equivalent) in the master’s degree.
3. A grade of at least 85 (or its international equivalent) in the master’s thesis.
4. A grade of at least 85 on the final or seminal examination for the master’s degree (if such an examination was part of the program).
5. Applicants whose first language is not English will need to obtain an exemption (‘ptor’) from studying English. Applicants who begin their PhD studies without an English exemption must obtain one within two years of beginning their program. Further details regarding English language requirements are available from the Faculty of Social Sciences: +972-2-5883416.
6. A doctoral supervisor. Potential candidates are required to name at least one researcher in the school who has agreed to support their applications and supervise their PhD project.
7. If the proposed doctoral supervisor has not yet been granted tenure, we recommend approaching an additional tenured supervisor from the school. Applications with the support of only non-tenured researchers are subject to the discretion and approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences.

For applicants with an academic background outside of public policy:

The same requirements apply to candidates with an academic background outside of public policy. However, PhD students with master’s degrees from other disciplines will be required, as part of their program, to complete the following courses:

• A Theoretical Lens on Public Administration (59625), 2 credits
• Theories of the Public Policy Process (59624), 2 credits
• Qualitative Research Methods (59654), 2 credits
• Quantitative Research Methods (59770), 2 credits
• Economics and Public Policy (59716), 4 credits

PhD students will be required to pass these courses with an average of 85, with at least 80 in each course, before moving on to the research phase (‘Stage B’) of the doctoral program. These courses can be recognized as part of the 12 credits required by doctoral degree programs, subject to the discretion and approval of the PhD supervisor and research committee.

Since some of the prerequisites are annual courses, registration for students with a background outside of public policy is only possible in the first semester. As such, applications must be made to the Authority for Research Students by the 1^st of July.

Required documentation

The Authority for Research Students requires applicants to PhD programs to submit the following documents:

1. An updated CV.
2. Undergraduate and master’s degrees certificates, or documentation stating eligibility to said degrees.
3. Original degree transcripts.
4. Documentation stating the final weighted score or grades achieved in the undergraduate and master’s degrees, if this is not specified already on the degree transcripts.
5. Applicants who have not yet completed their master’s degrees will be required to submit an up-to-date transcript that includes the cumulative grade average.
6. An example of academic writing (usually a thesis, research article, or similar project).
7. Two signed academic references, to be sent in a sealed envelope directly to the Authority for Research Students.
8. A short document (1-2 pages) detailing the applicant’s research intentions.
9. A letter of agreement to doctoral supervision from a researcher from the Federmann School of Public Policy and Government (subject to the above guidelines).
10. The Dean’s approval for doctoral supervision, if necessary.

International students:

Students who obtained their degrees at a university outside of Israel will be considered only after their degree certificates have been approved by the Authority for Research Students, who certify the Israeli equivalents to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Students with degrees from outside of Israel may be required to provide additional documentation.