The Carnegie Foundation reclassified Eastern Michigan University as a doctoral university in the 2015 edition of the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education rankings system.

EMU was previously listed as a large master’s university. To be classified as a doctoral university, the school must award 20 or more research or scholarship doctoral degrees per year.

Currently, Eastern has four doctorate programs: Clinical Psychology, Educational Leadership, Educational Studies and Technology.

“Our new Carnegie ‘Doctoral’ designation recognizes that EMU doctoral and research programs continue to advance under the leadership of our outstanding faculty and academic administrators,” Kim Schatzel, previous interim president and provost, said in a press release.

EMU is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Doctoral University with Limited Research Activities (R3), which is the lowest doctoral classification.

This score is calculated by looking at research and development costs in science and engineering, non-science and engineering, science and engineering research staff, doctoral conferrals in humanities fields, social science fields, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and in other fields such as business, education, public policy, social work, etc.

There are three doctoral classifications. R3 universities, such as Eastern, have limited research activity and are the lowest classification. R2 universities have higher research activity. At the top are R1 universities, which have the highest research activity.

The Carnegie Foundation ranked other Mid-American Conference (MAC) schools. Ball State University, Bowling Green State University, Central Michigan University, Kent State University, Miami University, Northern Illinois University, Ohio University, University of Akron, University of Toledo and Western Michigan University are ranked as an R2. University at Buffalo, and State University of New York is ranked as an R1. Eastern has the lowest doctoral classification out of all the MAC schools.

This is the first update to the Carnegie Classification since 2010. The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education developed its classification in 1970, and the first Carnegie Classification was published in 1973. More information can be found at http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu.

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