Since its first graduate in 1971, the doctoral program in planning and public policy has educated innovative people who wish to combine social concerns with analytical skills. This preparation relates to traditional as well as emerging roles for planners and policy makers alike.

Diverse disciplines--reflected in the backgrounds of incoming students, in the positions filled by graduates, and in the academic and professional pursuits of the faculty--exemplify the flexibility of the doctoral program in urban planning and policy development at Rutgers. This intentional diversity sets the direction of our program: to seek a variety of approaches in exploring the dimensions of planning and policy questions and in preparing responses to those questions. The program enables its graduates to competently respond to socioeconomic problems and political opportunities and to teach others to engage in the same.

Faculty members in the program hold doctorates in a wide range of fields including planning, political science, geography, law, business administration, economics, and education, to name a few. In addition, some courses are taught by adjunct faculty who are practicing professionals and by research faculty within the school.

Now in its fifth decade, the program has and will continue to graduate leading academics, researchers, and administrators in planning and policy.