Pardee RAND Students

Members of Cohort '19, with Dean Susan L. Marquis

Photo by Diane Baldwin/RAND Corporation

Pardee RAND Graduate School has approximately 100 enrolled Ph.D. students from 23 different countries around the world—about a third come from outside the U.S. Our students have a wide variety of academic backgrounds, and 80% of incoming students already hold an advanced degree. Approximately 35% of Pardee RAND students are married and around 10% are also parents. The median age of entering students is 29; the age range of entering students in recent cohorts extends from 22-41.

More about the Pardee RAND Student Body

Recent Student-Faculty Research Collaborations

Glass globe sitting on chalk board with crisis and policy written in chalk, photo by courtneyk/Getty Images

Had We Planned Better for a Pandemic, We Might Be More Free Today

The COVID-19 pandemic has made Americans less free, confining us to our homes, and separating us from the people we love and things we value doing. Tim McDonald (cohort '16) and professor Robert Lempert say this COVID-19 experience may help people to learn the importance of planning to preserving and expanding freedom in an interconnected and complex world.

The grill is nearly empty at dinner hour at Ben's Chili Bowl during the COVID-19 pandemic in Washington, D.C., April 30, 2020, photo by Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

A Path to Recovery from COVID-19 for Small Businesses

The COVID-19 pandemic has hammered small businesses around the United States. Student Diana Gehlhaus Carew (cohort '15) and professors Richard New and Howard Shatz spoke with 21 small business owners to learn more about the challenges they are facing and how they might best be helped.

Wood block stacking with icon healthcare medical, Insurance for your health concept, photo by marchmeena29/Getty Images

Student and Profs: How America Can Begin Building a System of Health

COVID-19 is shining a harsh spotlight on long-recognized but under-addressed gaps in the U.S. health system, write Tim McDonald (cohort '16) and Profs. Christopher Nelson and Laurie Martin. As the nation moves quickly to respond, it could begin by engaging in the work of designing, defining, and building a System of Health.

Laura Ng, who has lupus and had to recently call at least five pharmacies before she could find a place to fill her hydroxychloroquine prescription, in Seattle, Washington, March 31, 2020, photo by Lindsey Wasson/Reuters

The Unintended Consequences of a Proposed Cure for COVID-19

The very discussion of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as therapeutic options against COVID-19 has decreased their availability for proven treatments, exacerbated global shortages, fueled an already rampant counterfeit drug market in Africa, and worsened trade tensions. Student Sangita Baxi (cohort '17) and professors Krishna Kumar and Todd Richmond ask, What can be done to deal with the unintended consequences caused by the elevated profile of these drugs?

People shaking hands over an image of a city with a globe superimposed over the top, photo by chombosan/Getty Images

Student-Prof Commentary: City Diplomacy Has Been on the Rise. Policies Are Finally Catching Up

Cities are not signing international treaties, nor do they have embassies around the world, write Sohaela Amiri (cohort '16) and Professor Rafiq Dossani. But cities can engage in all kinds of negotiations, reach agreements, and influence world politics. The State Department could tap into this power to further enhance U.S. diplomacy, global image, and influence.