Professor Schwab joined the Department of Economics at Maryland after receiving his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1980. He assumed the role of director of graduate studies in 1991 and associate chair in 1997. In 2004, he accepted the position of associate dean of the college. He is the recipient of 48 teaching awards and is equally successful in his research. His research is focused primarily on public economics with an emphasis on education policy and is supported by the National Science Foundation and Russell Sage Foundation.