Rutgers University

Overview

Rutgers University (RU) is a public research university based in New Jersey that is considered a “public Ivy” because of its heritage as a private school and, later, as a land- and sea-grant state university. Charted in 1766 in support of the Dutch Reformed Church, the original school was designated the state university in 1945.

Today, RU is the largest university in New Jersey, offering a wide range of bachelor’s degree programs, graduate studies, professional programs in the fields of arts and sciences, communication, public policy, engineering, environmental and biological sciences and pharmacy. Other academic programs include applied and professional psychology, education, management and labor relations, arts, nursing, criminal justice, law, public administration, business and social work.

These programs are spread across Rutger’s three main campuses in New Brunswick, Camden and Newark. Together, the campuses host around 45,000 undergraduate students and over 20,000 graduate and professional students.

RU started as the Queen’s College, which was put up for studies on language, liberal, arts and sciences and to support the ministry of the Dutch Reformed Church. The college would face closures through the years due to financial and political events, until it finally reopened in 1825 and was named “Rutgers College” after the American Revolutionary War hero, Colonel Henry Rutgers.

RU would be designated as a state university through acts by the New Jersey Legislature in 1945 and 1956.

The university has notable alumni in the fields of politics, economics, entertainment, literature and sports. These include Senator Elizabeth Warren, Nobel laureate for economics Milton Friedman, civil rights activist Paul Robeson, Louis Gluck (father of neonatology), and geneticist Stanely Cohen, James Gandolfini of The Sopranos, Bernard Marcus (founder of Home Depot), and Duncan MacMillan (co-founder of Bloomberg).

RU’s academic programs are divided into 100 distinct undergraduate degrees, 100 master’s degrees and 80 Ph.D. and professional degrees. The university has 175 departments and 29 schools and colleges that confer degrees. Its four professional schools are the School of Communication and Information, the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, the Graduate School of Social Work, and the Graduate School of Education.

Rutgers also has an extensive research profile, with major undertakings in cognitive science, computer science, electrical engineering, anthropology and philosophy. It is also home to a large protein data bank, research facilities for agro-industrial studies and genetic studies on mental disorders.

The RU library system consists of 26 libraries and ranks among the top in the U.S. in terms of volume.