Villanova, Temple tout advancement in 'Carnegie Classification'
Villanova and Temple Universities are touting advancements they made in the Carnegie Classifications, which has been used for decades to categorize the nation's schools.
Two local universities — Villanova and Temple — are touting advances they recently made in an updated classification, called the "Carnegie Classification," which has been used to categorize higher education institutions in the United States since 1970.
Villanova has moved to the classification of "doctoral universities," up from the master's colleges and universities category, the school announced. The change came in response to an increase in PhDs awarded by the Main Line university in 2013-14. Villanova awarded 20 PhDs that year, seven in engineering, seven in nursing and six in philosophy.
The classification also is based on the kind of doctoral degrees awarded, the amount and kind of research grants and other measures.
"Villanova has been on an upward trajectory for the past decade, and this elevation in our classification is an important acknowledgement of what the University has become," the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, president, said in a statement. "Achieving doctoral status is not merely a matter of classification. This new category ensures the interdependence of teaching, research and scholarship at Villanova, while also enhancing our national reputation."
Villanova offers doctoral programs in engineering, nursing and philosophy and a new doctorate in theology will begin next fall.
Temple's advancement was based on the scale and productivity of its research, much of it biomedical research.
The university rose from the high research activity category among doctoral universities to the highest research activity category. The move, which came as the university reached a record $242 million in research expenditures, places Temple in the top four percent of four-year universities.
Four other universities in Pennsylvania are in Temple's new category: Carnegie Mellon, Pennsylvania State University, University of Pennsylvania and University of Pittsburgh.
"Temple's top tier Carnegie classification amplifies our ability to attract top faculty and more research dollars, so we can aid the community through our discoveries," Temple President Neil D. Theobald said in a statement.
The Carnegie classification has been updated every five years since 2000.