Kent State designated an “R1” institution in February 2022
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education named Kent State a R1 (or very high research) institution, which is the highest research ranking that Carnegie designates. This makes Kent State one of the top 146 research universities in the U.S. This announcement followed years of strategic investment in Kent State’s research infrastructure, including the creation of research institutes and a focus on research development.
As an institution whose core mission centers on access and completion, the R1 designation shows that Kent State provides not only a fantastic education to students from all backgrounds, but also research and creative activity experiences that are more typical of elite institutions that are more expensive and have more restrictive entrance criteria.
What the designation means
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education began in 1973 as a means of classifying institutions of American higher education. Kent State has been designated as an R2 (high research activity) institution since the classification’s inception. The recent R1 designation recognizes Kent State’s excellence in obtaining grant dollars, providing research support staff (postdocs and non-faculty researchers) and awarding doctoral degrees.
The designation moves Kent State into a very prestigious group of the top 146 research universities in the US. Regionally, there are only four other R1 institutions in Ohio and three in the Mid-American Conference.
An R1 designation, in addition to bringing a higher level of prestige and recognition to a university, also enhances our ability to attract top faculty, postdocs and graduate students. Further, the designation opens additional funding opportunities and provides greater appeal to business and industry partners.
What criteria are used to determine Carnegie classification levels?
A focus on research and creative activities has always been part of Kent’s core mission, and we celebrate accomplishments in every form of scholarship. While our efforts to increase the culture of research and scholarship in all its forms (and across all our campuses) at Kent State has contributed to the success we are experiencing, the R1 classification stems from very specific criteria. Criteria are used to create two equations: one aggregate (just including totals) and one per capita (including total amounts divided by the number of faculty).
Aggregate criteria include:
- Science and Engineering expenditures (i.e., the number of grant and other dollars spent that year on science and engineering research)
- Non-Science and Engineering expenditures (i.e., the number of grant and other dollars spent that year on other types of research and creative activities)
- The number of postdocs and non-faculty researchers (individuals with doctoral degrees who are not faculty but who are working in health, science, and engineering fields)
- The number of Social Science doctoral degrees awarded
- The number of Humanities doctoral degrees awarded
- The number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) doctoral degrees awarded
- The number of Other doctoral degrees awarded
Per capita criteria include:
- Science and Engineering expenditures divided by the number of faculty
- Non-Science and Engineering expenditures divided by the number of faculty
- The number of postdocs and non-faculty researchers divided by the number of faculty
