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

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.

Close-up of a person reading/texting on their smartphone, photo by sam thomas/Getty Images

Three Takeaways from RAND's Analysis of News in the Digital Age

How has the rise of digital technology shaped the way that news is presented? Student Mahlet Tebeka (cohort '17), alum Steve Davenport ('15), and professors Jennifer Kavanagh and Bill Marcellino conducted an empirical study to find out. Here's what you need to know from their findings.

A medical bill showing balance due, photo by DNY59/Getty Images

Addressing Surprise Medical Bills Without Raising the Cost of Health Care

Patients who try to stay within their insurers' networks can be hit with surprise bills when they unknowingly receive care from out-of-network physicians. Erin Duffy (cohort '15) and Profs. Chapin White and Mark Friedberg ask how much a physician should be paid for providing a service that is critical but rendered without the patient's ready ability to choose an in-network provider.

Five glasses of water, with dirty water in the center, photo by hdere/Getty Images

How to Ensure Quality Drinking Water Service for All? One Option Is Fewer Utilities.

California's Human Right to Water Bill declares that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water.” Student David Catt and professors Miriam Marlier and Michelle Miro say one clear barrier to reaching this target is the sheer number of small water utilities that pose service sustainability and public health risks to their customers.

Department of Water and Power employees assess the damage from a broken 30-inch water main on Sunset Boulevard, next to the UCLA campus in the Westwood section of Los Angeles, July 30, 2014, photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Lessening Leakages: How Water Systems Can Learn From Smart Electric Grids

As drought and population growth place increasing pressure on water supply, the need to save and efficiently manage Southern California's water resources becomes increasingly critical. Student Jalal Awan (cohort 17) and professors Miriam Marlier and Michelle Miro suggest that a single information and communication technology platform could go a long way toward moving water utilities from reactive to proactive maintenance practices.