The program in Early Childhood Studies develops professional leadership in all aspects of early childhood—counseling, guidance, therapy, management and development of programs and research. The Schwartz Program is unique in its multidisciplinarity. Its faculty derive knowledge and tools from the disciplines of psychology, social work and education, aiming to supply the unique needs of children from birth to age six.
The program is based on a systemic outlook and ecological developmental approach to early childhood. This outlook considers the many and varied environments that influence children’s development: family, educational frameworks, peer groups, community and culture.
The program’s aims
In order to achieve these aims, the program combines academic studies with fieldwork (practicums) in the fields of child development, mental health, educational programs, counseling, guidance and therapy. The program emphasizes a systemic approach and understanding the mutual relations between the various systems affecting children, in the family, the community and the society.
The program offers three tracks: guidance and counseling; mental health; policy and management. The core knowledge is common to all students.
The program is active under the auspices of the School of Social Work and Social Welfare and the School of Education.
Explanation on the program's courses (2021-2022)
Explanation on the program's courses (2020-2021)
General information
Head of the program in Early Childhood Studies: Prof. Idit Balit-Cohen
Coordinator of MA studies: Ms. Rama Botbinik
Advisor for prectical studies: Dr. Iris Zadok, e-mail: iris.zadok@mail.huji.ac.il
Program secretariat: room 310, tel: 02-5880452 extension 2, 02-5881845/8, e-mail: swm@savion.huji.ac.il
Office hours at the secretariat: Sunday-Thursday, 10:00-15:00.
To contact us, please click here
The program lasts two academic years. Classes take place on one day a week and in concentrated courses during the semester break and at the end of the academic year.
The study days in the program are Monday (in the first year) and Wednesday (in the second year). It is not possible to split the program between additional years.
The program offers three tracks: guidance and counseling; policy and management; mental health in early childhood. In each track, there are internal clusters of fields of study. Each cluster comprises mandatory and elective courses. The types of course and the number of credits required in each cluster in every track, as well as the total number of credits required for the degree, are shown in the study tables.
Study tables for those beginning studies in the 2017-18 academic year:
The study tables show the mandatory and elective courses of the MA in Early Childhood Studies program. The student may also choose courses offered by other departments of the Hebrew University.
Choosing courses from other departments and/or other universities requires the permission of the advisor for student affairs.
When planning studies, it is recommended that the student check the prerequisites for participation in the various elective courses carefully.
Exemption and recognition of previous studies
Study tables for those beginning studies in the 2016-17 academic year:
The acceptance committee will discuss each request according to the candidate’s qualifications and according to the program’s intake possibilities. Those candidates with the highest rankings of those meeting the acceptance requirements will be selected. In extraordinary cases, the acceptance committee will discuss special requests.
Requirements for acceptance to the guidance and counseling track
Requirements for acceptance to the mental health track
Requirements for acceptance to the policy and management track
Supplementary studies
Supplementary studies, set by the acceptance committee after checking previous academic studies, are meant to provide all students with a common knowledge-base that is an essential condition for acceptance to the program. These studies will include the following undergraduate courses or their equivalents, according to the candidate’s previous studies:
Anyone required to take three or more supplementary courses will be accepted to the program as a regular student only after completing these studies and achieving an average of at least 80 therein. Completing the supplementary studies in the first year of study is a condition for continuing in the program. The supplementary studies are not considered part of the degree course.
At the end of the summer before the beginning of the academic year, concentrated supplementary workshops will be offered, that can replace some of the abovementioned courses. Details at the secretariat.
Exemption (“ptor”) in English
In accordance with the procedures of the Hebrew University, receiving an exemption at university level is a necessary condition of acceptance to the MA in Early Childhood program. An exemption in English must be presented by the end of September before the beginning of the intended academic year.
A candidate who is not a graduate of the Hebrew University shall present an exemption from his/her undergraduate studies at one of the institutions recognized for this by the Hebrew University (List of the institutions recognized for the exemption in English)
A candidate whose undergraduate studies were not at an institution in the above list must present an alternative exemption on the basis of the psychometric exam, AMIR/AMIRM test, or English as a Foreign Language studies at the Hebrew University.
Registration for the 2018-19 academic year will begin in January 2018 and end on 30 June 2018.
For further details on the registration process, see the Guide for Candidates
The candidacy of anyone who does not carry out these two stages will not be brought before the acceptance committee. Anyone paying registration fees and not uploading documents to EKMD will be rejected on the grounds of lack of documentation at the end of the registration period.
A student who fulfills all his academic and financial obligations, including the successful completion of the final thesis and / or the final examination, will be awarded the degree "University Qualified in Early Childhood Studies" (M.A.) at a date determined by the University.
For more details on eligibility for the degree, through the final weighting and a verbal definition of the final grade, see the teaching and study procedures on the university's website.
A first-year student in the early childhood graduate program will move on to second year only if he has passed the relevant first-year compulsory courses (listed below) with a grade of at least 60.
General compulsory courses:
03802 Scientific Thinking
03804 Data processing and analysis
Mandatory for guidance and counseling:
03750 Practicum Workshop
03734 Preschool Curriculum: Theoretical Approaches and Their Application
03409 Fundamentals and Mental Health in Early Childhood
Mandatory for the mental health trend:
03425 Practicum Workshop
03528 Advanced Foundations in Mental Health
03409 Fundamentals and Mental Health in Early Childhood
Mandatory for policy and management major:
03152 Early Childhood Programs and Services
03734 Preschool Curriculum: Theoretical Approaches and Their Application
The practicum is a learning framework that connects theory and practice and includes field experience, group instruction and / or individual instruction.
The practicum takes place one day a week, in addition to the school day, during the two years of study for the master's degree and is accompanied by individual instruction which in many cases does not take place at the university.
Practicum frameworks:
In the field of guidance and counseling - the practicum takes place in group settings for preschoolers such as daycare centers for preschoolers and nurseries and accompanies the teamwork. In the first stage, the students learn to recognize and evaluate the needs of a boy or girl in the educational framework and in the family and community context, as well as to recognize and evaluate the needs of a group of boys and girls, staff and parents and examine the educational framework.
The second stage includes experiencing a variety of interventions: creating meaningful interaction with a boy or girl through observation, play and conversation, coaching staff, providing information and counseling to parents.
In the field of mental health - the practicum is held in settings for children at risk and for families in distress, such as multi-purpose dormitories and early childhood treatment centers. The male and female students work with the educational and therapeutic staff, with the families and with the boys and girls and are integrated into an intervention program determined according to the characteristics of the boy or girl, the family, the educational framework and the goals of the intervention.
The practicum framework is a place for application taught in theoretical courses. In most theoretical courses there are tasks that need to be performed in a practicum such as: observations, intervention with a boy or girl, intervention with a family, team training, analysis of the curriculum's sources of influence, examining the quality of education-care of the framework and more.
The training at the practicum:
The purpose of the training is to support the personal and professional development of each and every student.
The training takes place once a week in the mental health program and once every two weeks in the training and counseling program, each training session lasts one hour (60 minutes). In most cases, the instruction does not take place at the university on the school day, but according to a predetermination between the instructor and the student. This coordination requires maximum flexibility as well as inquiries.
The contents of the training refer to the professional development of the instructor, her experiences, her profession and her professionalism and there is an emphasis on professional ethics.
The instructor staff at the practicum is part of the program staff. Most of the instructors are graduates of the program and currently hold key positions in the field of early childhood in Israel.
The graduate program encourages students to study in the research plan which includes writing a dissertation (thesis).
In this plan, the scope of studies is 36 credits. The transition to the research track will be made in the second year only.
Zoom meeting in preparation for the theses - acquaintance with the lecturers 11.1.21
Zoom meeting in preparation for the theses - acquaintance with the lecturers 18.1.21
Conditions for admission to the research program (starting in 2009/10):
Click here to go through the guidelines for writing a research proposal and a dissertation
Schedule for writing the thesis
* If the thesis work has not been submitted by the specified date, please contact the head of the program and Dr. Arena Shemer to obtain permission to submit the work by 31.12 of that year
A student in a complementary class to research
A student may apply for a dissertation after completing his / her studies in the master's program in social work in the non-research track.
An application to write a final thesis will only be considered if the candidate meets the following conditions:
Completion of a master's degree with an average grade of 92 or higher.
Formulation of a defined topic that will serve as a topic for the thesis and obtaining the written consent of a member of the school's permanent faculty to guide the candidate in the proposed research (see the list of faculty members and their areas of interest).
Meeting these conditions does not confer the right to write a dissertation. The school will consider each application in accordance with the candidate's qualifications and in accordance with the absorption capacity of the master's program.
An applicant who is allowed to write a final thesis must register with the Hebrew University "as a supplementary student for research" and will be charged a tuition fee in accordance with the tuition procedures customary at the university.
A student who has completed his studies at the Hebrew University during the 5 years preceding the submission of his application for the completion of a dissertation, will be exempt from participating in a thesis seminar subject to the discretion of the head of the program. In this case, his research proposal will be read and discussed by the facilitator and by a second reader.
The final thesis in the research completion track will be submitted no later than 30.9. A student who does not meet this schedule will not be allowed to continue writing the paper.
The certificate and final grade for a master's degree in social work will not be changed following the completion of the writing of a final thesis. A student who successfully completes the track will receive a separate confirmation.
Conditions for admission to the research track up to and including 2009/10
Students admitted in 2007/07 must meet the correct admission requirements for 2007/08
Admission requirements for the research track
Those who meet any of the following conditions may apply for this track:
Those who average their grades at least 90 in the master's courses taught in the first school year.
Those who scored at least 87 in each of the two courses: 03802 Scientific Thinking, 03754 Early Childhood Development: Emotional and Social Processes. The application of the person who received the required grade following a special approval to repeat the course will not be accepted. The application of the person who received the required grade following a special approval to repeat the course will not be accepted.
Those who did not meet the grade requirements in the blocking courses (03802, 03754) but achieved an average of at least 93 in the first year of the master's.
Those who have accumulated at least 18 credits in the master's studies during the first year.
Anyone who has formulated a specific topic that will serve as the topic of the thesis and has received the written consent of a member of the school's permanent faculty to guide it in the proposed research (see the list of faculty members and their areas of research).
Requirements of the research track
Successful completion of the following required courses:
The program offers three plans:
Guidance and Counseling, Mental Health and Policy and Management.
The core of knowledge is common to all students, but each major has unique fields of study:
In training and counseling, the students acquire knowledge and skills for training and counseling in early childhood educational settings.
In the field of mental health, the students acquire knowledge and skills in intervening with boys and girls and families in situations of risk and stress.
In the policy and management plan, the students acquire knowledge and skills in the development and management of frameworks and services for preschool children and girls.
It is important to note that studies in the field of counseling and guidance and in the field of mental health, require practical studies in addition to the day of lectures at the university.
Moreover, individual instruction does not necessarily take place on the school day at the university.
The program is designed to prepare both female and male students for guidance and counseling positions in early childhood educational settings, individually and in groups. Studies in the field include theoretical and professional courses, a research seminar and research courses, a practicum accompanied by individual guidance and a group workshop.
The studies in the field of guidance and counseling are intended to achieve the following goals:
Assimilation of the ecological-developmental approach to understanding the training needs of the educational framework.
Providing knowledge and tools for systematic and analytical thinking in the field of early childhood, for the purpose of identifying needs and challenges, evaluation and intervention in the work of the educational framework staff.
Familiarity with early childhood services in the community to increase cooperation between all those involved in the welfare of preschool children and their families.
Development of tools and skills of individual and group training in educational settings.
Developing an infrastructure of theoretical research that will advance knowledge in the field of early childhood guidance and counseling.
Leadership development that promotes the understanding that the quality of educational-therapeutic work depends first and foremost on the degree of guidance provided to staff in the framework.
The program is designed to train people from a variety of therapeutic professions to work with at-risk boys and girls and their families, and with the staff in the educational settings in which they reside. Studies in the field include theoretical and professional courses, a research seminar and research courses, a practicum accompanied by individual guidance and a group workshop.
The studies in the field of mental health are intended to achieve the following goals:
Expanding the toolbox and knowledge in the field of therapeutic intervention in early childhood children.
Assimilation of an integrative approach to professional intervention with preschool children, with their parents and with their families.
Providing knowledge and tools for systematic and analytical thinking in the field of early childhood, for the purpose of locating, evaluating and intervening in situations of risk, distress and trauma in infancy and early childhood.
Familiarity with agencies and systems which are beliefs about providing services to at-risk boys and girls.
Develop social policy among early childhood caregivers, while imparting guidance, counseling, intervention, and leadership skills.
Developing an infrastructure of theoretical research that will advance knowledge in the field of mental health and work with at-risk boys and girls.
This trend is being supported by the Irving Harris Foundation.
The early childhood policy and management trend develops and imparts early childhood knowledge focused on the development of programs, policies and management in the field of early childhood services. The program is intended for male and female students who are interested in acquiring knowledge about parenting children and early childhood frameworks out of a desire to learn to develop new programs in the field of early childhood or to manage services in this field.
The policy and management studies are designed to achieve the following goals:
Assimilation of an integrative approach to professional intervention with preschool boys and girls, with their parents and their families.
Providing knowledge and tools for systematic and analytical thinking in the field of early childhood, along with familiarity with the field of services, understanding policy in the field, and managing and developing existing and new programs in the field of early childhood.
Familiarity with the various policy systems, frameworks and institutions that provide services to preschoolers. Knowledge and tools in management, organizational change, human resource development and team development. As well as in community development and resource mobilization, public relations and marketing and organizational leadership development.
Development of social policy among early childhood therapists, while imparting training management skills and leadership.
Development of an infrastructure of theoretical research that will promote the knowledge in the field of early childhood and the knowledge about the frameworks and services provided to families and boys and girls in early childhood.