School Mission

The mission of the Bloustein School is to create just, socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable and healthy local, national and global communities.

Edward J. Bloustein — Rutgers president, constitutional scholar, active citizen, philosopher, and teacher — lived a life of civic engagement that the school’s ethic seeks to perpetuate. Research, teaching, and outreach at the Bloustein School aim for intellectual originality and practical rigor in an atmosphere of spirited and open debate. Bloustein activities are rooted in diversity of experience and thought. They create settings where individuals and communities can flourish. The Bloustein ethic strives to improve the quality of public discourse by producing ideas and measures that have impact.

The Bloustein ethic engages those who do their jobs not just honorably, but with a passion for their work that alters their surroundings. The Bloustein School seeks to foster new research and thinking that achieve both scholarly recognition and public acceptance.

2014 Bloustein School Strategic Plan

2014 Rutgers University Strategic Plan

2021 Bloustein School Fact Sheet

Learning Goals

• To enhance students’ understanding of the theories, methods, and practice of planning and public policy.
• To encourage open discussion of all viewpoints, the application of quantitative methods for analysis, the careful study of history, and a thorough consideration of economic and demographic trends and political institutions and processes.
• To examine theories and methods in a wide variety of concentrations, including community and economic development, public health, workforce development, land use, housing, transportation, urban design, education, social policy, science and technology policy, and environmental policy.

Education

The School supports a wide variety of educational activities, from undergraduate and master’s and doctoral degree programs to continuing education courses and conferences for professionals and alumni. The School also hosts international fellows programs, which provide education and professional development opportunities for individuals from nations around the world. The core purpose of all our educational programs is to enhance students’ understanding of the theories, methods, and practice of planning and public policy. The School’s educational programs encourage open discussion of all viewpoints, the application of quantitative methods for analysis, the careful study of history, and a thorough consideration of economic and demographic trends and political institutions and processes. Full- and part-time students examine theories and methods in a wide variety of concentrations, including community and economic development, public health, workforce development, land use, housing, transportation, urban design, education, social policy, science and technology policy, and environmental policy.

Research

The School serves as an intellectual focal point at Rutgers University for the examination of societal problems and solutions. Research undertakings are governed by a strong commitment to quality through the use of sound social science theory and methods and to full dissemination of results and peer review of findings. Research is carried out on a wide variety of challenging topics. Specialized centers, established by the University’s Board of Governors, carry out large-scale projects and are supported by external funding. The centers support the educational and public-service mission by focusing research in the substantive areas of the School’s strength and by supporting students, faculty, and staff in those areas.

Service

The School is committed to addressing community, regional, state, national, and international needs. Faculty, staff, and students fulfill this commitment in a variety of ways, by preparing students for careers in public service; through continuing education courses and seminars; by serving as advisors to public officials and community organizations; by working to strengthen the capacity of governmental and nonprofit organizations through education and training; and by undertaking research projects that address the pressing needs and concerns of our society.