What the Carnegie Classifications Mean for You

For more than 50 years, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has been categorizing institutions in a functional but basic way–by the highest degree the institution awards and the amount of research generated by the institution. Even as American higher education changed significantly from the early 1970s, the classifications remained the same. Until recently! In this episode we talk about the classifications, how they were used and why, and what led to the revised classifications that were just released.  

Key Takeaways:

• The Carnegie Foundation partnered with the American Council on Education (ACE) to conduct the first major overhaul of the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education in almost 50 years.
• Over the three-year process, the team engaged thousands of stakeholders across the higher education sector and other relevant experts about how best to provide more information about an institution through the classifications.  
• For the first time, the Carnegie Classifications bring in information about the student (not just the degree) through the new Student Access and Earnings category. 
• The American Council on Education prefers a three-syllable callout (“EY SEA EE”) rather than a one-syllable word (“ace”) when referring to the organization in shorthand. 

Host:

Doug McKenna
University Registrar, George Mason University
[e-mail]   

Guests:

Mushtaq Gunja
Executive Director of the Carnegie Classification Systems & Senior Vice President 
American Council on Education 

References and Additional Information:

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education® 

Classification Methodology

American Council on Education