Pardee RAND History & Accreditation

Pardee RAND Graduate School is unique in American higher education.

Founded in 1970 as one of the original eight graduate programs in public policy analysis, it is the only program specializing in the Ph.D.

It is also the only one based at a public policy research institute—the Santa Monica, California-based RAND Corporation—which invented many of the analytical methods and tools of public policy analysis.

The school has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges since 1975.

Students of the (then-)RAND Graduate Institute, with founding dean Charles Wolf, in 1978

1970: RAND Graduate Institute (RGI) is founded at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, CA; first cohort has 11 students
1970: Charles Wolf Jr. becomes Dean (1970-1998)
1974: The first doctorate degree is awarded
1975: The school receives its first accreditation (WASC)
Late 1970s: RGI is a founding member of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM)
1985: Accreditation is reaffirmed
1987: RGI becomes the RAND Graduate School (RGS); entering cohort has 12 students, total enrollment is 81
1990: Accreditation is reaffirmed
1998: RAND Corporation celebrates its 50th anniversary
1998: Robert Klitgaard becomes Dean (1998-2005), later succeeded by interim Dean Rae Archibald (2005-2006)
2000: Accreditation is reaffirmed
2004: RGS becomes the Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School to honor the vision and contributions of Frederick S. Pardee, a former RAND researcher and philanthropist; entering cohort has 25 students; total enrollment is 92
2004: Pardee RAND and the RAND Corporation move into a new, state-of-the-art LEED certified building (U.S. Green Building Council's "Gold" designation) at 1776 Main Street
2006: John Graham becomes Dean (2006-2008), later succeeded by interim Dean Molly Selvin (2008)
2008: RAND Corporation celebrates its 60th anniversary; total enrollment exceeds 100
2009: Susan L. Marquis becomes Dean (2009-present)
2010: Pardee RAND celebrates its 40th anniversary with a gala celebration including students, alumni, current and former staff members, and many other guests
2011: Accreditation is reaffirmed (until 2020)
2012: Pioneering political scientist James Q. Wilson bequeaths his complete archive of papers, books, and correspondence to the school; the James Q. Wilson Collection is dedicated in January 2013
2013: A generous gift from Frederick S. Pardee begins the Pardee Initiative for Global Human Progress, a multi-year program to improving the future human condition with a focus on Asia and Africa
2014: A legacy gift establishes the John and Carol Cazier Environmental and Energy Sustainability Initiative
2015: School begins a multiyear process of reimagining its curriculum for the 21st century
2017: First studio course offered, as part of the curricular redesign

Perspectives on Pardee RAND

As part of the tuition reimbursement plan, students are required to work for pay as team-members on 'real-world' research projects with RAND research staff. This benefit is not to be understated because future policy analysts with Pardee RAND backbones will be poised to make a difference!

Lisa S. Meredith

Senior Behavioral Scientist

Source: Perspectives on Pardee RAND

Possibilities to work with professionals from different fields on a wide range of policy problems are abundant at Pardee RAND. I see this program as a chance to improve my research and analytical skills and to develop my ability to devise creative solutions to policy problems.

Gursel Rafig oglu Aliyev

Assistant Policy Researcher

Source: Perspectives on Pardee RAND

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

Senior Policy Researcher

Source: Perspectives on Pardee RAND

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. Most importantly, I am excited to be acquiring cutting edge analytic skills that help me tackle complex challenges facing healthcare access in sub-Saharan Africa.

Adeyemi Okunogbe

Assistant Policy Researcher

Source: Perspectives on Pardee RAND

Pardee RAND students are intimately involved in real public policy research and often make substantial contributions to their projects. The curriculum and atmosphere are strongly interdisciplinary

Paul K. Davis

Senior Principal Researcher, RAND

Source: Perspectives on Pardee RAND

Ying [Liu] explained her impressive career trajectory from the Harvard Education fellowship to the CDC prevention effectiveness fellowship and her current work for the biotech industry. It was really inspirational for us students to meet another successful alum in person. She made us believe that we can do it, too.

Gulrez Shah Azhar

Assistant Policy Researcher

Source: Four Alumni Visit to Discuss their Careers