The school is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and was named in honor of the former Rutgers University president, Edward J. Bloustein (1971 to 1989).

Through its academic programs and research centers, the Bloustein School engages in instruction and research, combined learning and application (for example, it holds "studios" in which students practice engaged scholarship by working with community stakeholders on urban planning and policy issues in communities throughout the United States).

[2] Areas of expertise for Bloustein faculty members include transportation planning and the environment, urban and community health, workforce development, and social justice.

The Bloustein School's public policy program has its origins in the political science department of the Rutgers New Brunswick campus.

Early faculty members recollect that the department's mission was forged in the tempestuous cauldron of the late 1960s’ urban unrest and the desire to address, through research and service, the inequalities underlying it.

In January 2017, the Bloustein School enrolled its first cohort of graduate students in the executive master of health administration program.

The traditional master of health program began enrolling students in the fall of 2017, and is designed for students who have completed a bachelor's degree, have less than five years of experience in the healthcare industry, or are seeking to make a career change and complete the program at their own pace on a full- or part-time basis.

Applications of the program include all of the school's major areas of study, including the realms of transportation, environmental management, urban design, mobility, social policy, public management and operations, public health, health administration, and community engagement and empowerment.

[11] The Bloustein School educates a select pool of students, preparing them for both public and private sector careers, teaching and research professions, and service at all levels of government.

Many of these centers offer continuing education and training programs for government officials, nonprofit leaders, and career professionals.