SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego's reputation for education has just gotten better, as it is now classified as an R1 research institution.
Earlier this week, San Diego State University was named one of the top research institutions in the U.S. and is now ranked among the top five percent of schools where doctorate degrees are awarded.
According to SDSU, only 187 universities out of more than 4,000 recognized by The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education have an R1 classification.
R1 stands for Research 1 University.
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education uses this term to refer to doctoral universities that meet the following prerequisites: $50 million in research expenditures annually and a minimum of 70 doctoral students who will graduate.
Hala Madanat, Vice President for Research & Innovations at SDSU said SDSU exceeded those limits.
"We [spend] at $158M [a year], and the number for doctoral was 70, we were at 123," Madanat said.
According to SDSU, the university has been building up to this classification since 1960s, when school leaders started implementing doctoral programs.
SDSU is also the first and only California state university to receive this R1 classification.
