College of Education and Human Development

Mason Joins the Ranks of R1 Research Universities

George Mason is one of the highest-ranked research institutions in the country, according to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

Mason, the largest public research university in Virginia, has joined a group of 115 universities that perform research at the highest level. Below the “R1” rankings are universities that perform “higher research activity,” or “R2,” and then universities that perform “moderate research activity,” or “R3.”

“It’s not only a wonderful achievement, but it’s an important recognition of the high quality and the large portfolio of research that our faculty are involved with—and that our students have an opportunity to participate in,” says College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Dean Mark Ginsberg.

Overall, the university’s research expenditures grew by tens of millions of dollars in the period of the review—from $77 million in 2008-09 to $99 million in 2013-14. A large portion of that increase was due to science and engineering research, as well as work in economics and social sciences. Of particular significance was CEHD’s $34M VISTA project in science education. This five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education was the largest grant in Mason’s history.

Consistent with its status as a major contributor to the university’s overall research portfolio, the college recently received accolades from ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, a prestigious global ranking system that named CEHD one of the top 100 Education schools in the world. The rankings take into account awards won by faculty, papers published, and other factors.

There are four universities in Virginia with Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s R1 designation: Mason, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Tech.