Structure

Students in POC can choose to pursue their MA studies with or without completing an MA thesis. Those who choose the non-thesis program, complete 9 graduate level courses.  Each of the 9 courses is worth 4 credits (for a total of 36 points). All students are required to take two compulsory courses: "The Arab-Israeli Conflict" and "Politics of Protest". In addition, students take a final exam comprised of three take-home exams administered by three lecturers (of choice) in the program (PoC or within the department). Eighty percent of the final grade for the program degree is based on the 9 courses and 20% on the final exam.  Students are expected to complete the degree during the course of two semesters.
 
Those who choose to do so (and have at least 2 grades above 90 in non-language courses) may opt for an MA thesis in place of the final exam. Those who choose this option are required to complete 7 graduate level courses (a total of 28 points), including 'MA Thesis Workshop' and the two compulsory courses. For these students, 50% of the final grade will be based on the courses and 50% on the thesis. In most cases, students preparing a thesis spend an additional summer or semester on research and writing. Please note that writing a thesis involves an extra charge,  in addition to regular  tuition fees (see section: Tuition Fees).
 
With the program director's approval, students may enroll in graduate courses (in Hebrew) in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Students may also take up to two courses (8 credits) in The Overseas Program**, The Foreign Literatures and Linguistics department , the MAPMES (all conducted in English), or BA courses (in Hebrew) in other departments of the faculty.

M.A. degree without thesis:

M.A. Degree with thesis:

Training and Development 

POC students will have an opportunity to participate in the following training workshops aiming to develop their research and professional career:

‘Journal publishing’ – Prof. David Newman

‘Grant applications and international internships’ – Dr. Sharon Prado

'Working for International NGOs' - Tipea Spitka 

‘PhD experience’ – meeting with PhD students and the Faculty 

'Making Effective Presenations & Engaging Others with your Research' - Dr. Yulia Zemlinskaya

The presence of the POC students at training workshops and departmental seminars constitutes an indispensable part of their educational program and hence is obligatory! If a student cannot attend one of the workshops, she must notify the program director in advance.