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.

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    Summer Lull? Not at Pardee RAND!

    Sep 17, 2018

    The summer issue of Pardee RAND's alumni newsletter features Fred Pardee's generous gift and vision for the school's globalization; a new alum's efforts to encourage political discourse; an OJT collaboration ten years in the making; exciting changes in Career Services team; and much more.

  • Frederick S. Pardee being thanked for his gift to RAND

    Fred Pardee’s $3 Million Gift Aims to Strengthen School’s Global Impact

    Sep 17, 2018

    A $3 million pledge from Frederick Pardee will expand the Pardee Initiative for Global Human Progress, integrate its efforts with the school's redesign, and help the school institutionalize a focus on global issues.

  • ProMeSA efforts in the Dominican Republic

    OJT Project Leads to Decade of Research Collaboration

    Sep 7, 2018

    For more than a decade, alum Kartika Palar (cohort '06) and professor Kathryn Derose have been working together to reduce food insecurity among people with HIV. Student Gabriela Armenta ('15) recently joined them on a novel project in the Dominican Republic.

  • A businesswoman types on a laptop computer

    Applications Now Being Accepted for Fall 2019

    Sep 1, 2018

    The Pardee RAND application period for 2019 is now open. Completed applications must be received by January 9, 2019. Learn more about the online application process.

Upcoming Events

Our Graduates at Work

Wang Helps School Foster Ties with China

With the support of alum Hui Wang (cohort '88), Dean Susan Marquis visited academic and nongovernmental institutions in China to establish and strengthen relationships with Pardee RAND. Wang is the outgoing alumni member of the Pardee RAND Board of Governors.

Learn more about Wang's impact

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