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.

Application Deadline

8 Jan

Apply Now

Pardee RAND Insights

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

  • Students Compete in (and Win!) Hackathons

    Dec 6, 2018

    Sometimes described as "invention festivals," hackathons are multi-day events in which people collaborate intensively in an effort to solve a specific problem. Many hackathons involve technology — the word being a portmanteau of "hack" and "marathon" — but teams also include designers, subject-matter experts, and others. With the launch of the Tech and Narrative Lab, Pardee RAND has taken a leap into this area by hosting its own internal events and encouraging student participation in regional competitions.

  • cohort

    Fall 2018 Alumni Newsletter Highlights Hackathons, New Cohort

    Dec 6, 2018

    Pardee RAND's latest cohort arrived this fall for a two-week bootcamp that included a policy analysis immersion, one of the newest elements of the school's redesign. The Tech & Narrative Lab also broadened student horizons through an opioid hackathon, and Career Services engaged dozens of alumni through a series of new activities.

  • New Career Services Events Increase Alumni Engagement

    Dec 6, 2018

    Many of Pardee RAND's career-focused events would not be possible without alumni participation. Nearly two dozen alumni helped mentor and network with students through exciting new activities this fall.

  • Wireless communication network

    Opening Up the 5.9 GHz Frequency Band for WiFi Use Could Result in Significant Economic Benefits

    Nov 29, 2018

    Few empirically driven estimates explore how WiFi contributes to the economy. Students Diana Gehlhaus Carew, Nicholas Martin, and Jesse Lastunen (all cohort '15) filled this gap by estimating the potential economic value of opening the 5.9 GHz frequency band.

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

Admissions Events