Welcome to the Pardee RAND Graduate School

The Pardee RAND Graduate School is the Original Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis

Unique in American higher education, the Pardee RAND Graduate School is the nation's largest public policy Ph.D. program and the only program based at an independent public policy research organization—the RAND Corporation.

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How to Apply

The application period for the Fall 2017 entering cohort has now closed. Visit our Admissions section to learn more about the application process for the entering class of 2018, and submit a pre-application.

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Degree Program

The Pardee RAND Ph.D. Program comprises an interdisciplinary core curriculum, optional analytic concentration, policy specialization, on-the-job training, and a policy-relevant dissertation.

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News & Featured Research

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Spring 2017 Alumni Newsletter Available Online

Jun 21, 2017

Pardee RAND's alumni newsletter features articles about the six new Pardee RAND analytic Methods Centers, Dean Susan Marquis' visit to China (with alum Hui Wang, cohort '88), student presenters and moderators at the regional APPAM conference, and more.
'Principal Pipelines' Can Be an Affordable Way to Improve Schools

Jun 20, 2017

Improving school leadership by better selecting, training, and evaluating principals can be an affordable way to reduce turnover and improve schools, according to research by Melody Harvey (cohort '12) and professor Susan Gates.
A 'Learning System' in Behavioral Health Can Help in Sharing Best Practices, Innovations

May 30, 2017

Leveraging technological advances to make better use of the best available data could help rein in healthcare costs and improve both quality and safety, writes alum Bradley Stein (cohort '97). This makes sense whether the health care being delivered is physical or behavioral.
How to Navigate Public-Private Partnerships in Higher Ed

May 26, 2017

Universities are partnering with private companies that have the resources to help them compete in the online learning market and maximize student enrollment. Professors Rita Karam and Charles Goldman consider, do their different missions — providing high-quality education and making a profit — dilute the quality of the courses?
How Uganda Could Benefit from a Center for Food Innovation

May 23, 2017

A training and innovation center that trains and certifies street food vendors to address issues related to food hygiene, safety, and quality would accelerate the growth of a new Ugandan cuisine that capitalizes on nutritious local ingredients in a sustainable manner, write student Michele Abbott (cohort '14) and professor Deborah Cohen.
Is College Worth the Expense? Yes, It Is

May 22, 2017

Many American students struggle with the soaring cost of higher education, and for many college-going students, student debt can have severe negative implications. On balance, though, the benefits of a college degree appear to outweigh the costs, writes professor Rafiq Dossani.

More Pardee RAND Graduate School News and Research

Spotlights

In Their Own Words

“To provide all children with equal educational opportunities requires considering the intersection between education and related policy areas, including criminal justice, housing and health. I chose Pardee RAND for the unique opportunity to approach these complex and naturally interdisciplinary problems comprehensively and from a policy-oriented perspective.”

Rachel Perera, Student, Cohort '16
“Pardee RAND offers a unique opportunity for graduate students to gain hands-on experience in policy-relevant research while at the same time learning about research methods and policy analysis in small and engaging classes.”

Kathryn Pitkin Derose, Pardee RAND Faculty
“There are many things that I love about being at Pardee RAND: the academic and intellectual rigor, the opportunities to explore diverse research interests, immersion in the RAND culture of conducting objective and high-quality multidisciplinary research, the diverse experiences and backgrounds of colleagues, and, of course, the sunny and beautiful Los Angeles weather.”

Yemi Okunogbe, Student, Cohort '13
“The project work offered me the chance to engage in a wide variety of public policy issues. In fact, I would say one of the most challenging aspects of student life is learning to focus one's intellectual curiosity into one to two policy areas of interest.”

Christopher Lau, Alum, Cohort '10

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Research Blogs by Pardee RAND

How to Navigate Public-Private Partnerships in Higher Ed

May 26, 2017

Universities are partnering with private companies that have the resources to help them compete in the online learning market and maximize student enrollment. Professors Rita Karam and Charles Goldman consider, do their different missions — providing high-quality education and making a profit — dilute the quality of the courses?

Graduates tossing their mortarboards in the air

Is College Worth the Expense? Yes, It Is

May 22, 2017

Many American students struggle with the soaring cost of higher education, and for many college-going students, student debt can have severe negative implications. On balance, though, the benefits of a college degree appear to outweigh the costs, writes professor Rafiq Dossani.

New mother resting in maternity room after childbirth

Effects of Removing Maternity Care and Mental Health Treatment from Coverage Requirements

May 18, 2017

The American Health Care Act passed by the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act allows states to waive benefits that the ACA deemed “essential.” Dropping maternity care coverage, for example, would reduce premiums by 5 percent but increase out-of-pocket spending for new mothers, writes professor Christine Eibner.

A mother and her child walk along the Ganges river during a dust storm on a hot summer day in Allahabad, India, June 9, 2015

Where Are India's Heat Hotspots?

May 17, 2017

Poverty, poor sanitation, a precarious water and electricity supply, and limited access to health care make India vulnerable to heat waves. Rural and urban districts could improve their preparedness by developing and targeting local adaptation strategies, writes student Gulrez Azhar (cohort '14).

Student Spotlight

Ah Reum Lee

Assistant Policy Researcher

Ah Reum Lee is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a doctoral candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research interests include program evaluation, quantitative methods, behavioral economics, and international development.

Karen Lee

Assistant Policy Researcher

Karen Lee is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research interests include environmental policy, defense and national security policy, decision analysis, risk analysis and assessment, and modeling.

Bilyana Lilly

Assistant Policy Researcher

Bilyana Lilly is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. student at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Lilly's research interests include defense analysis, risk assessment, security cooperation, nuclear strategy, NATO, European and Eurasian affairs, modelling and simulation, U.S.…

Tim McDonald

Assistant Policy Researcher

Tim McDonald is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a doctoral candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He is a senior fellow at the Center for Policy Design and previously worked as a research associate at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

Alexandra Mendoza-Graf

Assistant Policy Researcher

Alexandra Mendoza-Graf is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. student at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research interests include the social determinants of health spanning the areas of education, resiliency, immigration and integration, drug and crime control, criminal…

Diogo Oscar Borges Prosdocimi

Assistant Policy Researcher

Diogo Prosdocimi is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. student at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. He has an M.P.P. from the University of California, Berkeley, and bachelors degrees in public administration and mathematics from Fundacao Joao Pinheiro and Federal University of…

Claudia Rodriguez

Assistant Policy Researcher

Claudia Rodriguez is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. student at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her interests reside in education policy, underrepresented minorities in higher education, STEM education, mathematical and statistical modeling, and quantitative and qualitative…

Joshua Russell-Fritch

Assistant Policy Researcher

Josh Russell-Fritch is a doctoral candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. He previously worked in the Research and Policy department at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation where he led data collection efforts and developed…

Uzaib Saya

Assistant Policy Researcher

Uzaib Saya is a doctoral candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at RAND. His research interests include health service delivery and financing (especially in developing economies), economic evaluation and causal inference, the performance of health…

Nima Shahidinia

Assistant Policy Researcher

Nima Shahidinia is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a doctoral candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His research interests include substance use treatment and drug policy trends.