Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

The doctoral degree is an advanced scholarly degree appropriate for students seeking a career in university teaching and research, planning and policy research and development in the public sector, and leadership positions in the private or non-profit sectors. Over 200 students have received the Ph.D. degree since the doctoral program was established in the 1960s. Graduates have obtained senior positions in universities, research centers, governments, non-profit organizations, and the private sector.

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. This intentional diversity is central to the key goal of our program: to prepare students to pursue a variety of approaches exploring critical questions in planning and public policy and to shape innovative responses to those questions. The program enables its graduates to competently respond to the social, economic, and political problems and opportunities of our time, to anticipate new and emerging challenges, and to teach others to do the same.