Mission

The mission of the Public Policy Program of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy is to further and strengthen innovation, rigor, and justice in the field of public policy through teaching, research, and service. Specifically, we:

• Teach undergraduate and graduate students to be engaged change-makers through high-quality instruction and mentorship;
• Conduct and disseminate high-quality interdisciplinary research that addresses society’s most pressing problems;
• Serve communities at the local, state, national, and global levels through research, informed practice, and leadership in order to build a more equitable and sustainable world;
• Foster an environment in which research, teaching, and service come together in the pursuit of equitable and inclusive solutions to public problems.

Learning Goals

Intellectual and Communication Skills

• Critical Thinking
  Students will demonstrate an ability to think critically about policy formation, implementation, implications, and effectiveness, and the methods underpinning the policy evidence.
• Communication
  Students will demonstrate a proficiency in written and oral methods of communication in a variety of settings through their applied field and practicum experiences and an ability to adjust method to setting and audience.
• Mathematical Reasoning and Analysis
  Students will demonstrate an ability to apply economic and/or political perspectives in the analysis and understanding of public policy.
• Scientific Inquiry
  Students will demonstrate an ability to use the scientific method in the development and implementation of field-based policy analyses as part of the practicum and class-based research projects in the methods courses, and to critique the application of the scientific
  method in the literature.
• Information and Computer Literacy
  Students will demonstrate proficiency in conducting literature reviews, collecting primary data, retrieving secondary data, analyzing data using a variety of software packages, and reporting the findings in ways that facilitate dissemination.

Professional Development & Ethics

Students will demonstrate an ability to integrate and apply theory, methods, empirical evidence, and conceptual thinking in the development and implementation of policy analysis in program-directed applied field and practicum experiences in which students “work for” clients as part of their applied field experiences and practicum projects. Students are required to write briefing memos, prospectuses, and final reports for clients and to present their analyses in formal presentations. Students will demonstrate competency in professional conduct and ethics in their interactions with faculty, students, and clients, and in their use of data.