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

9 Jan

How to Apply

Pardee RAND Insights

The latest research, news, and events from students and faculty.

  • People displaced by drought in Somalia arrive at the Dolo Ado camp in neighbouring Ethiopia and queue to be registered by the aid agencies running the camp

    Moving Countries, Seeking Refuge from Climate Change

    Dec 19, 2017

    By the middle of this century, experts estimate that climate change is likely to displace between 150 and 300 million people. Gulrez Shah Azhar (cohort '14) says it is daunting to envision such large flows of people, but that is why the global community should start doing so now.

  • Large container of ripe tomatoes in front of tractors

    Justice for Florida Farmworkers: Q&A with Dean Susan Marquis

    Dec 15, 2017

    In her new book, Dean Susan Marquis takes readers inside the fight in Florida tomato fields. She traces the history and victories of a grassroots group of farmworkers and community leaders who wrested better wages and working conditions from major tomato growers and their corporate buyers.

  • p201710_01, techlab, event, workshop, open house

    Fall 2017 Alumni Newsletter Available Online

    Dec 13, 2017

    Pardee RAND's alumni newsletter features the creative results of a Tech Lab pilot. Other articles highlight "Pardee RANDroid," the school's new robot; a student-published newspaper; Dean Marquis' book, I Am Not A Tractor!; APPAM presentations, and more.

  • Pardee Times Provides Outlet for Student Creativity

    Dec 8, 2017

    Pardee RAND students launched a new student publication last year that is written, edited, operated, and distributed entirely by students. Pardee Times has published three editions since February 2017.

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