Graduate Programs

Graduate Degree Programs

The Bloustein School’s Graduate Program in Public Policy is designed to fill the need for highly trained individuals to work on complex public policy problems. Students develop and refine their competence in analytic and quantitative skills, forming a thorough understanding of the political institutions and processes through which public policies are formulated and implemented.

The Bloustein School’s Graduate Program in Urban Planning and Policy Development is future-oriented and comprehensive. It seeks to link knowledge and action in ways that improve the quality of public and private development decisions affecting people and places. Because of its future orientation, planning embraces visionary and utopian thinking, yet also recognizes that the implementation of plans requires the reconciliation of present realities to future states. To become effective and ethical practitioners, students in the program must develop a comprehensive understanding of cities and regions, and of the theory and practice of planning. They must also be able to use a variety of analytic methods in their practice. They must become sensitive to the upstream factors influencing healthy communities, and the ways in which planning affects individual and community values, and must be aware of their own roles in this process.

The Master of Health Administration program is tailored for students who have completed a bachelor’s degree and who work or plan to work in the health care industry. The MHA is also suitable for those seeking to make a career change or the health practice professional moving into a management position. The program provides students with an interdisciplinary education focused on improving population health, health care, health systems, and policy. While students receive rigorous training in economics, ethics, law, leadership and disciplines similar to those in an MBA curriculum, the Rutgers MHA is specifically tailored to the health care sector.

The Master of Public Informatics provides the vehicle for educating professional student cohorts in the competencies needed in urban and public informatics: statistics, programming, data management, data analytics, visualization, spatial analysis, applications and the integration of these skills. Graduates of the program will bring a critical voice and a deep understanding of context to an emerging field serving the range of planning, public policy, informatics and urban health fields.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Planning and Public Policy, offered through the Graduate School-New Brunswick, is an advanced scholarly degree appropriate for students seeking a career in university teaching and research, or a leadership position in planning and public policy in the public, private or non-profit sector.

Certificates

Certificates are groupings of five or so courses offered by key, multiple departments that if taken, indicate that the student has developed cross-disciplinary expertise in a particular subject area. View each certificate to learn more about the eligibility criteria. 

Student Projects

Under the direction of faculty and research staff, students at the Bloustein School analyze real-world issues for real clients and develop real solutions. From planning studios to policy practicums to applied field experiences, students use a range of analytic, design, or research techniques to gain practical experience. They consider socioeconomic, demographic, environmental, political, and other conditions as well as stakeholder engagement as they research and assess projects, and are encouraged to use “best practices” in order to develop solutions that are equitable and efficient.