RAND School of Public Policy

The school was founded in 1970 as the RAND Graduate Institute (RGI). [ 4 ] The name of the school has been changed twice. In 1987, RGI became the RAND Graduate School. In 2004, the school's name was changed to honor the contributions of Frederick S. Pardee , a former RAND researcher and philanthropist. [ 5 ] Charles Wolf Jr. served as founding dean from 1970 to 1997 and remained a professor at the school until his death in 2016. In 2013, the RAND School launched the Pardee Initiative for Global Human Progress [ 6 ] focusing on international development. The John and Carol Cazier Environmental and Energy Sustainability Initiative [ 7 ] was started in 2014. The RAND School has developed partnerships with UCLA . RAND graduate students voted to unionize in 2023, and have been bargaining a contract since then. [ 8 ] [ 9 ] Following approval to offer the Master of Technology Policy and to offer all programs on the Washington campus, the school was renamed to the RAND School of Public Policy. [ 10 ]

The RAND School of Public Policy offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in policy analysis. The Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) degree is awarded to students after two years of coursework and partial completion of the Ph.D. requirements. The first doctorate was awarded in 1974. As of August 2018, the RAND School has awarded 400 Ph.D. degrees and is the largest policy Ph.D. program in the United States. The curriculum includes courses in economics, statistics, operations research, political science, and the behavioral and social sciences. Public policy courses focus on issues such as social determinants of health , education, civil and criminal justice, national security, population and demographics, and international development.

RAND graduate students gain practical experience and earn their fellowships through on-the-job training as members of RAND's interdisciplinary research teams, initially as apprentices and later in roles of increasing responsibility and independence. Students can apply to work on current projects with clients in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. [ 11 ] RAND's research areas include children and families, education and the arts, energy and environment, health and health care, infrastructure and transportation, international affairs, law and business, national security, population and aging, public safety, science and technology, and terrorism and homeland security. [ 12 ] RAND argued in 2023 that students aren't employees under the National Labor Relations Act. However, they also argued that students were indistinguishable from other employees. The National Labor Relations Board disagreed with both arguments, stating that "Students have significant functional integration with the Employer’s research staff... students actively contribute to the research that underlies the Employer’s analysis and the presentation of this analysis to clients." [ 13 ]

The RAND School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The school received its first accreditation in 1975 and was reaccredited in 2021 for 10 years (until 2030). [ 14 ]