Program Overview

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Hebrew MA (joint degree) 2025 entry

Overview

Whilst St Andrews does not offer Hebrew as a single Honours degree, you can take Hebrew in combination with a wide variety of other subjects as part of a joint Honours degree.

At St Andrews, the focus is on classical or biblical Hebrew, though you have the opportunity to take advanced modules in post-biblical Hebrew – particularly by studying the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Modern teaching methods in language study are used to help beginners. And for those with a background in languages, Hebrew makes a fascinating language to study as it belongs to the Semitic, as opposed to the Indo-European, family group.

Start date

• September 2025

End date

• June 2029

Duration

• Four years full time

School

• School of Divinity

Entry requirements

The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard and Minimum entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.

For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject-specific entry requirements as outlined on their pages.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

You do not need previous knowledge of Hebrew to apply.

Course details

The Hebrew portion of the four-year joint Honours degree course is run by the School of Divinity. Studying Hebrew allows you to become attuned to the thought patterns of a distinctive culture, and gives you access to the world of biblical literature and the extraordinary range of writing found in the Hebrew Bible.

Your first two years focus on enabling you to read and analyse prescribed texts in Hebrew, especially the Old Testament.

Alongside Hebrew, in the first year of your studies you will be required to study an additional two subjects. In the second year, you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two. Find out more about how academic years are organised.

In your third and fourth year, you will have the opportunity to take more advanced modules which focus on reading Hebrew in a variety of contexts, including prose and poetry.

The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure web page.

Modules

First year

• Hebrew 1: Introduction to Hebrew Language: aims to give students a sufficient knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of Old Testament Hebrew to be able to read and analyse prescribed texts.
• The Art of Biblical Literature: Introducing the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament: introduces the life, literature and religion of Ancient Israel, with particular consideration of the main literary types of the Old Testament literature.

Second year

• Hebrew 2: aims to extend students' skills in reading the Hebrew Bible and in the techniques of textual criticism and of exegesis.
• Reading the Women of the Old Testament A (English Texts orHebrew Texts)**: examines depictions of women and the feminine in the Old Testament, including female characters in narrative, women in legal texts, female characters in Wisdom Literature, and the metaphorical depiction of cities as women in prophetic texts, as well as the use of female imagery for God and the religious roles of women in ancient Israel.

Honours

If you take Hebrew in your third and fourth years, you will take one compulsory module and choose from a variety of advanced modules ranging from reading the Hebrew Bible to studying Hebrew prose and poetry.

• The Bible Through the Ages: History, Theology, and Hermeneutics: takes students through the history of the Bible and its interpretation from the formation of the canon to postmodernism considering, for each time period, what the Bible was for the people of the time, and how people encountered and interpreted the Bible.

Other modules being offered at Honours level for :

• Readings in Early Christian Greek Texts
• Johannine Literature and Theology: English Text
• Johannine Literature and Theology: Greek Text
• Epistle to the Hebrews: English Text
• God and Morality: Faith and Philosophy in the Scottish Enlightenment
• Prophetic Books
• Hebrew Readings
• Creation and Chaos in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East
• Themes and Texts in Christian-Buddhist Dialogue

In fourth year, students also undertake a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choice. The School provides significant support for the dissertation, with a breakdown of the assessment into different stages and a programme of seminars to assist in the development of advanced research and communication skills.

Teaching

Teaching format

Teaching in the first and second years is mainly by lectures (10 to 100 students), supplemented by regular small-group tutorials (8 to 12 students).

At Honours level, greater emphasis is put on individual study and on students taking a major role in preparing for and conducting seminars (5 to 15 students).

Assessment

All sub-honours modules are typically assessed by 50% coursework and 50% written examinations. At Honours level, at least 50% assessed work is coursework, with some modules including no exam element at all.

Examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand.

The School aims to provide feedback on every assessment within three weeks to help you improve on future assessments.

Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements.

Support

You will be taught by a research-led teaching team with expertise and knowledge of Hebrew. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken tutor training may also contribute to the teaching of tutorials under the supervision of the module leader.

The University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities.

Fees

Tuition fees

• Scotland: £1,820
• England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland: £9,535
• Channel Islands, Isle of Man: £9,535
• EU and overseas: £31,670

Accommodation fees

Find out about accommodation fees for University accommodation.

Joint Honours degrees

You can take Hebrew MA (joint degree) as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.

You can also take Hebrew MA (joint degree) as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take the core modules of your chosen subjects:

• Arabic
• Art History
• Biblical Studies
• Comparative Literature
• English
• French
• Geography
• Greek
• Mathematics
• Middle East Studies

Joint degrees taken with Arabic or French are also available With Integrated Year Abroad.

Careers

A degree that includes Divinity gives you the opportunity for significant intellectual and personal development, and you will acquire a wide range of transferable skills. Those who have studied biblical studies or theology have learnt a range of skills including:

• textual
• historical
• analytical
• creative
• interpersonal

Graduates are in demand with employers who need rigorous but flexible thinkers with a broad knowledge base and an understanding of people and their religious and social contexts.

Recent graduates from the School of Divinity have, for example, become:

• journalists with the national and religious press
• a trainee manager at a national bank
• an art gallery assistant
• a solicitor
• a theatre director
• a college principal
• a business consultant
• a social worker
• a wine taster

Graduates have also gone on to postgraduate degrees in related areas here and at other top universities in the UK and across the world.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.