HomeMy WebLinkAboutMontana State among top U.S. research universities in Carnegie classificationMontana State University’s Norm Asbjornson College of
Engineering graduate students Isaac Miller and Adrienne
Arnold, along with research scientist Huyen Bui, examine
tubes of algal bacteria, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, at MSU in
Bozeman, Mont. MSU Photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez
Montana State among top U.S. research universities
in Carnegie classification
From MSU News Service
FEBRUARY 8, 2022
BOZEMAN – Montana State University remains
one of the top research universities in the country,
according to classifications published by the
Indiana University Center for Postsecondary
Research’s Carnegie Classification of Institutions
of Higher Education.
MSU has again been designated an R1 university
for its very high research activity. Only 146
institutions in the nation received R1
classifications, and among them, MSU and Utah
State University are the only two that also have an
enrollment profile of “very high undergraduate.”
The R1 classification was developed by the
Carnegie Commission on Higher Education and
originally published in 1973. It is based on factors
including research expenditures, staffing and the
number of doctorates awarded. MSU was
designated an R1 institution from 2006 through
2015 and regained the distinction in 2019.
“This designation is a testament to the hard work
put in by remarkable faculty, researchers, students and staff across campus who are committed to advancing the
MSU research enterprise,” said Jason Carter, MSU’s vice president of research, economic development and
graduate education. “To continue to have MSU recognized as Carnegie R1 only motivates us to continue that
research and scholarly excellence.”
MSU announced in September that, for the third year in a row, it had recorded an all-time high for research
expenditures, with more than $193 million for the fiscal year ending in June 2021. That was a 16% increase over
the previous year’s record, as reported to the National Science Foundation. Research expenditures at MSU have
topped $100 million per year for more than a decade.
“Montana State’s successes in research are thanks to the efforts of many people across our campus and across the
state of Montana,” said university President Waded Cruzado. “We are fortunate to have a group of dedicated
individuals and partners who understand the intrinsic value of research and the creation of art. These endeavors,
as we have said for years, can change lives and benefit our communities and society.”
That sentiment is encapsulated in MSU’s strategic plan, “Choosing Promise,” which includes goals of expanding
interdisciplinary scholarship and graduate education, among others. Carter also said that MSU’s research has
striven to substantially address the “grand challenges” identified in MSU’s strategic plan, including community
wellness, food and fuel security, and environmental stewardship.
MSU research is well known for its engagement of undergraduate students in research and is a national leader in
securing prestigious Goldwater Scholarships. A total of 82 MSU students have won the award, the nation’s
premier scholarship for undergraduates studying math, natural sciences and engineering. In addition, this past
December, MSU senior Mayuri Singh was one of just 151 students named as a 2022 Schwarzman Scholar. Also
in the past year, three MSU graduates drew upon their undergraduate research experiences to win NSF Graduate
Research Fellowships, and three current MSU graduate students also won that award. And numerous MSU
graduate students and postdoctoral researchers won prestigious awards, including the Ford Fellowship .
Contact: Michael Becker, MSU News Service director, 406-994-4565 or michael.becker@montana.edu.