Welcome to the Pardee RAND Graduate School

Tomorrow’s toughest and most urgent problems need a new kind of problem solver. They need Pardee RAND — and you.

What Sets Us Apart

The Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, California, is the nation’s largest public policy Ph.D. program. It’s also the only program based at an independent public policy research organization—the RAND Corporation.

  • Tools and Technology

    Acquire a wide range of data collection and analytic skills to address complex policy challenges, and harness technology to develop creative solutions.

    Learn more about Tools and Technology

  • Experience

    Gain two years of full-time policy research experience at the independent, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and develop a professional portfolio.

    Learn more about Experience

  • Real-World Impact

    Apply your expertise to research, inform, influence, and lead smart decisionmaking in diverse policy and research careers.

    Learn more about Real-World Impact

  • Freedom

    Graduate with little or no debt, thanks to generous scholarships and research fellowships that cover tuition and living expenses and let students work on RAND research of their choice.

    Learn more about Freedom

Join Us

Pardee RAND students share two attributes: a passion to help change the world for the better, and the discipline to master intellectual tools that will help them do so.

How to Apply

Pardee RAND Insights

The latest research, news, and events from students and faculty.

  • p201702_01, lecture, breakfast, briefing, event, susan marquis, martin feldstein

    In Remembrance: Martin Feldstein, Pardee RAND Distinguished Visitor

    Jun 19, 2019

    Martin Feldstein passed away in June 2019 at the age of 79, and was a distinguished visitor and frequent Pardee RAND speaker.

  • Jorja Leap stands with former gang member Fabian Debora in front of a mural he painted, photo courtesy Jorja Leap

    Research in Communities: Stories from the Field

    Jul 25, 2019

    Dr. Jorja Leap, executive director of the UCLA Social Justice Research Partnership, will discuss the dynamic and ongoing relational process of community-based participatory research. As the keynote speaker for Pardee RAND's annual Faculty Leaders Program, she will also share anecdotes and wisdom gleaned from her experience working with at-risk and gang-involved youth, formerly incarcerated women, death row inmates, and many others.

  • Arthur Brooks, author and Pardee RAND alumnus, discussing his new book at RAND's headquarters in Santa Monica, California, May 17, 2019, photo by Diane Baldwin/RAND Corporation

    Alum Arthur Brooks Tells Americans to Answer Hate with Love

    Jul 8, 2019

    Arthur Brooks (cohort '96) spoke at a RAND event to discuss his new book, Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt. He stressed that we don't have to disagree less, but we do have to disagree better.

  • Young Indian man makes flower garlands for sale, photo by McKay Savage/CC BY 2.0

    IDSS Talk Explores Employment in India

    Jun 28, 2019

    Anthony P. D’Costa, eminent scholar in Global Studies and professor of economics at the University of Alabama at Huntsville, will explain why India is subject to the same pressures OECD countries face: jobless growth brought about by increasing investments in capital equipment, automation, and a growing reliance on high skilled workers and professionals.

Our Graduates at Work

Schuster Sees Parallels between Pardee RAND and His New School

As the founding dean of the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, alum Mark Schuster (cohort ’91), sees similarities between his school and Pardee RAND: both are freestanding schools, take a hands-on approach, and are redesigning education in their fields.

Learn more about Schuster and all our alumni

Find out if Pardee RAND is right for you

Pardee RAND seeks students with superior communication, logical reasoning and quantitative skills, who also exhibit intellectual power, creativity, and a practical bent.

The Ideal Candidate