q2K BHP
Black History Portal
THE BHP WIRE —
HIDDEN TRUTHS
What's New!
THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME

Explore Black History

Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.

✊🏾

Civil Rights

Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.

⚙️

Black Inventors

Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.

🏆

Sports

Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.

♟️

People

Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.

📍

Places

Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.

📜

Events

Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.

Enter a person, place, event, or topic.
MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

MORE →
BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Ruler of the Mali Empire in the 14th century

Mansa Musa was the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa. Details recorded here should be sourced; unknown information is left blank.

MORE →
BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
← BACK TO RESULTS
Wikipedia

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, or simply the Carnegie Classification, is a framework for classifying colleges and universities in the United States. It was created in 1970 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. It is managed by the American Council on Education.

The framework primarily serves educational and research purposes, where it is often important to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions.[1] The classification generally focuses on types of degrees awarded and related level of activity such as research. The classification includes all accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States that are represented in the National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

History

[edit]

The Carnegie Classification was created by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education in 1970. The classification was first published in 1973 with updates in 1976, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018 and 2021.[1] To ensure continuity of the classification framework and to allow comparison across years, the 2015 Classification update retains the same structure of six parallel classifications, initially adopted in 2005.[1] The 2005 report substantially reworked the classification system, based on data from the 2002–2003 and 2003–2004 school years.[2]

In 2015, the Carnegie Foundation transferred responsibility for the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to the Center for Postsecondary Research of the Indiana University School of Education in Bloomington, Indiana.[3] The voluntary Classification on Community Engagement was managed by the Public Purpose Institute at Albion College in Albion, Michigan.[4] In March 2022, both the universal and elective Carnegie classifications moved to the nonprofit American Council on Education in Washington, D.C.[5]

The Carnegie Classifications underwent a significant update in 2025, overhauling their Basic Classification and replacing it with a new Institutional Classification. This new structure evaluates institutions based on multiple factors instead of categorizing institutions based on the highest degree awarded as was done under the prior framework.[6]

Information used in these classifications comes primarily from IPEDS[7] and the College Board.

Basic classification

[edit]

The number of institutions in each category is indicated in parentheses.[8]

Associate colleges

[edit]

Associate's colleges are institutions that primarily award associate degrees.[7]

  • Mixed Associate Large (78)
  • Mixed Associate Medium (265)
  • Mixed Associate Small (204)
  • Professions-focused Associate Large/Medium (193)
  • Professions-focused Associate Small (168)

Associate/Baccalaureate

[edit]

Institutions that primarily award associate degrees, but that also award bachelor’s or graduate degrees.[7]

  • Mixed associate/baccalaureate (50)
  • Professions-focused associate/baccalaureate (51)

Baccalaureate

[edit]

Baccalaureate institutions primarily award bachelor's degrees and do not have notable graduate programs.[7]

  • Mixed baccalaureate (82)
  • Professions-focused baccalaureate medium (53)
  • Professions-focused baccalaureate small (247)

Undergraduate/Graduate-Master’s

[edit]

These institutions have both graduate and undergraduate programs, but do not have notable doctorate programs.[7]

  • Mixed Undergraduate/Graduate-Master’s large/medium (87)
  • Mixed Undergraduate/Graduate-Master’s small (39)
  • Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master’s large/medium (129)
  • Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Master’s small (121)

Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate

[edit]

These institutions have both undergraduate and graduate programs through the doctorate level.[7]

  • Mixed Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate large (107)
  • Mixed Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate medium (100)
  • Mixed Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate small (30)
  • Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate large (41)
  • Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate medium (135)
  • Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate small (58)

Special focus institutions

[edit]

Special Focus institutions focus on or award degrees primarily in a single category.[7]

  • Applied and career studies (323)
  • Arts and sciences (221)
  • Arts, music, and design (89)
  • Business (120)
  • Graduate studies (68)
  • Law (27)
  • Medical schools and centers (68)
  • Nursing (240)
  • Other health professions (197)
  • Technology, engineering, and sciences (42)
  • Theological studies (294)

Research designation

[edit]

Beginning in 2025, research designations are awarded separately from institutional classifications. Institutions are classified by their amount of research spending and number of research doctorates awarded.[9]

  • Research 1 (R1): Very high spending and doctorate production (187)
  • Research 2 (R2): High spending and doctorate production (139)
  • Research colleges and universities (216)

Size and setting

[edit]

Size and Setting classifies institutions according to (a) size of their student body and (b) percentage of students who reside on campus.[10]

Size

[edit]

The size of institutions is based on their full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment. FTEs are calculated by adding the number of full-time students to one-third the number of part-time students. Two-year colleges are classified using a different scale than four-year and higher institutions.[10]

  • Very small two-year (VS2)—fewer than 500 FTEs attend this two-year institution.
  • Small two-year (S2)—at least 500 but fewer than 2000 FTEs attend this two-year institution.
  • Medium two-year (M2)—at least 2000 but fewer than 5000 FTEs attend this two-year institution.
  • Large two-year (L2)—at least 5000 but fewer than 10000 FTEs attend this two-year institution.
  • Very large two-year (VL2)—10000 or more FTEs attend this two-year institution.
  • Very small four-year (VS4)—fewer than 1000 FTEs attend this four-year institution.
  • Small four-year (S4)—at least 1000 but fewer than 3000 FTEs attend this four-year institution.
  • Medium four-year (M4)—at least 3000 but fewer than 10000 FTEs attend this four-year institution.
  • Large four-year (L4)—more than 10000 FTEs attend this four-year institution.

Setting

[edit]

Setting is based on the percentage of full-time undergraduates who live in institutionally-managed housing.[10] Two-year institutions are not classified by setting.[11]

  • Primarily nonresidential (NR)—fewer than 25 percent of degree-seeking undergraduates or fewer than 50 percent enrolled full-time live on campus.[10]
  • Primarily residential (R): (a)—at least 25 percent of degree-seeking undergraduates live on campus and (b) at least 50 percent but fewer than 80 percent attend full-time.
  • Highly residential (HR)—at least half of degree-seeking undergraduates live on campus and at least 80 percent attend full-time.[10]

2005 edition

[edit]

The 2005 classification scheme introduced a "set of multiple, parallel classifications"[12] that are "organized around three central questions: 1) What is taught, 2) to whom, and 3) in what setting?" wrote Alexander McCormick, a senior scholar at the Carnegie Foundation and director of the classifications project.[13]

As of 2005, the Carnegie Foundation was developing one or more voluntary classification schemes that rely on data submitted by institutions.[12] The first focuses on outreach and community engagement, and the second on "how institutions seek to analyze, understand, and improve undergraduate education."[13]

The Carnegie Foundation has no plans to issue printed editions of the classifications. Their website has several tools that let researchers and administrators view classifications.[14]

Revisions in the basic classification

[edit]

The 2005 revision also introduced the "basic classification", an update of the original classification scheme that:[7]

  1. Changes the names of some categories.
  2. Splits Associate colleges into subcategories. This is based on the work of Stephen Katsinas, Vincent Lacey, and David Hardy at the University of Alabama and is an update of work funded in the 1990s by the Ford Foundation.
  3. Categorizes doctorate-granting institutions according to their level of research activity. This level is calculated using multiple measures, financial and otherwise.
  4. Simplifies the measurement of doctorate degrees awarded.
  5. Divides Master's colleges and universities into three categories based on the number of Master's degrees awarded.
  6. Deprecates "Liberal Arts" terminology.[need quotation to verify] [clarification needed]
  7. Modifies the criteria separating Master's and Baccalaureate institutions. Institutions formerly classified as Master's Colleges and Universities are now classified as Baccalaureate Colleges.
  8. Requires institutions to have higher levels of single-field or related-field concentration for designation as special-focus institutions and utilizes more sources of information to identify special-focus institutions.
  9. Splits the "Schools of engineering and technology" category into two categories and eliminates the "Teacher's colleges" category.
  10. Measures and classifies service academies using the same criteria as other institutions.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "About Carnegie Classification". The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. n.d. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  2. ^ "Basic Classification Technical Details". Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 2005. Archived from the original on October 3, 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  3. ^ "IU research Center to House Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education". Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. October 8, 2014. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  4. ^ "Indiana University Bloomington – 2015 Carnegie Classification of more than 4,660 universities and colleges released". Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  5. ^ Whitford, Emma (February 9, 2022). "Carnegie Classifications Find a New Home". Inside Higher Ed. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  6. ^ Palmer, Kathryn. "Beyond 'Prestige': New Carnegie Classification Focuses on Student Success". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Institutional Classification Technical Manual" (PDF). carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  8. ^ "Basic Classification Tables". Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 2005. Archived from the original on October 3, 2006. Retrieved September 24, 2008.
  9. ^ "2025 Research Activity Designations".
  10. ^ a b c d e The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2005). Technical Details > Size & Setting Archived October 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ^ The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2005). Size and Setting Archived March 6, 2006, at the Wayback Machine classification flow chart.
  12. ^ a b The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2005). The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education website Archived 22 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ^ a b McCormick, Alexander C. (2005). A New Set of Lenses for Looking at Colleges and Universities Archived June 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Carnegie Perspectives Archived September 15, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, November 2005.
  14. ^ The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2005). Carnegie Classification FAQs: Will the classifications be available in print? Archived July 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
[edit]

Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.

No preview image
Wikipedia

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, or simply the Carnegie Classification, is a framework for classifying colleges and universities in the United States. It was created in 1970 by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. It is managed by the American Council on Education. The framework primarily serves educational and research purposes, where it is often important to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions. The classification generally focuses on types of degrees awarded and related level of activity such as research. The classification includes all accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States that are represented in the National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

MORE →
No preview image
Wikipedia

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most notable accomplishments are the development of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA), the Flexner Report on medical education, the Carnegie Unit, the Educational Testing Service, and the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

MORE →
Wikipedia

List of colleges and universities in Washington, D.C.

There are nineteen colleges and universities in Washington, D.C., that are listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. These institutions include five research universities, four master's universities, and ten special-focus institutions. Sixteen of Washington, D.C.'s post-secondary institutions are private, of which three are for-profit. Only three of the city's post-secondary institutions listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education are public. In addition to the institutions listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Washington, D.C., has four additional private not-for-profit post-secondary institutions (Bay Atlantic University, Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, NewU University, and St. Paul's College) and two additional public post-secondary institutions (National Defense University and the Inter-American Defense College). Washington, D.C.'s oldest post-secondary institution is Georgetown University, founded in 1789. Georgetown University is also the oldest Jesuit and Catholic university in the United States. Founded in 1821, George Washington University is the city's largest institution of higher learning in terms of enrollment, as it had 25,653 students as of the spring of 2013. George Washington left shares to endow a university in D.C. which became George Washington University According to the United States Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, Washington Theological Union is the city's smallest with an enrollment of 80. In total, there are six Catholic post-secondary institutions listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education in Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America, Georgetown University, the Dominican House of Studies, the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America, Trinity Washington University, and the Washington Theological Union. In addition, Gallaudet University is a post-secondary institution for the deaf and hard of hearing, and its curriculum is officially bilingual in both English and American Sign Language. The University of the District of Columbia is Washington, D.C.'s largest public university (with an enrollment of 5,110 students) and its oldest historically black university. It is also DC's sole land-grant university. The other HBCU in the district, a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund alongside UDC, is Howard University, one of the top-ranked HBCUs in the nation. Washington, D.C., has three medical schools: George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Howard University College of Medicine. There are six law schools that are accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA): the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law, Columbus School of Law (Catholic University of America), Howard University School of Law, George Washington University Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, and Washington College of Law (American University). Four international relations schools in Washington, D.C., are members of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA): Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, and American University's School of International Service. Eighteen of Washington, D.C.'s post-secondary institutions are officially recognized by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA). Most are accredited by multiple agencies, such as the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association (ASHA), the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

MORE →
Wikipedia

List of colleges and universities in West Virginia

There are thirty-seven colleges and universities in the U.S. state of West Virginia that are listed under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. These institutions include two research universities, five master's universities, and fourteen baccalaureate colleges, as well as twenty-one associate's colleges. In addition, there are three institutions classified as special-focus institutions. West Virginia's oldest surviving post-secondary institution is Bethany College, founded on March 2, 1840, by Alexander Campbell. Marshall University and West Liberty University were both established in 1837, but as private subscription schools. Founded in 1867, West Virginia University is the state's largest public institution of higher learning in terms of enrollment, as it had 23,643 students as of fall 2024. Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College is the state's smallest, with an enrollment of 465. With an enrollment of 3,062 students, the University of Charleston is West Virginia's largest traditional private post-secondary institution, while Future Generations University is the state's smallest, with an enrollment of 48. The American Public University System, a private for-profit, distance education institution based in Charles Town, has the largest enrollment of any post-secondary institution in West Virginia, with 50,715 students. Catholic Distance University, a fully online non-profit university in Charles Town, educates undergraduate students in Liberal Arts and theology and graduate students in theology and educational ministry. West Virginia has two land-grant universities: West Virginia State University and West Virginia University. West Virginia University is also the state's sole participant university in the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. In addition, West Virginia has two historically black colleges and universities that are members of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund: Bluefield State University and West Virginia State University. West Virginia has three medical schools: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and West Virginia University School of Medicine. It has one law school, West Virginia University College of Law, which is accredited by the American Bar Association. The majority (thirty-two) of West Virginia's post-secondary institutions are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Most are accredited by multiple agencies or have specific programs or units accredited by agency, including by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

MORE →
TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

MORE →
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Who became the first Black woman to travel into space?

Mae Jemison, aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.