Not all universities – and graduate programs – are created equal. You may be surprised to know how important it is to attend a university that has R1 status, especially when it comes to your future academic and professional career.
But what does it mean for a university to have R1 status?
Read on to find out how an R1 institutions affect graduate students who are interested in research and want to be engaged in the latest discoveries in their chosen field.
What it means for a university to have R1 Status:
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Higher Education has classified 115 U.S. institutions as having R1 status. These universities are at the forefront of research and innovation. They’re recognized as the best research universities in the country and receive federal or private funding specifically for their academic research.
Research study spans the academic spectrum at these universities, engaging grad students with research opportunities from the Creative Arts and Humanities to the Social Sciences and Applied and Basic Sciences.
West Virginia University is among these R1 institutions and is well-known for its popular research-intensive programs.
The difference between a research-based and non-research-based graduate program:
A research-based graduate program is designed to help you develop independent and critical thinking skills. The experiential learning that research programs provide pushes you toward innovation and discovery. You’ll apply new knowledge to your work and ultimately deepen the understanding of your discipline.
Non-research graduate programs tend to focus on existing facts of the field in question and are designed to increase your knowledge of the discipline. They don't necessarily focus on innovation and discovery of new knowledge like a research-heavy grad program does.
How master’s and Ph.D. students both benefit from research-based universities:
Attending a research-based university like WVU makes an impact on your future, whether you want to pursue a master’s degree or Ph.D. That’s because you’re equipped with the training and skills necessary to not only understand your field but to have an impact on it.
By researching and applying new knowledge, you’re able to change and discover and create within your discipline. Some students find that a research-based master’s degree satisfies their career goals, and others find that it prepares them to pursue a Ph.D. Either way, research study gives you the ability to advance in your career quickly and successfully.
The value of attending a university with R1 status:
Faculty at R1 institutions are not just experts in their discipline. They’re involved in research that puts them directly on the cutting edge of their field. You’ll benefit from this innovative academic environment because professors share their knowledge and the latest findings with their students.
Graduate students benefit most from this academic access because an R1 university puts you in touch with the most recent findings and trends in your major field of study, setting you apart as a scholar whether you want to pursue success in academia or the professional world.
Interested in what some of West Virginia University’s research achievements are?
- WVU faculty generate over $127 million annually in sponsored contracts and research grants.
- The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, the world’s first institute devoted to the study of human memory, is at WVU.
- WVU is partnering with NASA to launch West Virginia’s first satellite into orbit.
- WVU engineer Dan Carder, who led the research team that broke open the Volkswagen emissions scandal, was named to the 2016 Time 100, the magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
- WVU astrophysicist Sean McWilliams was part of the LIGO team international collaboration that made the most important physical discovery of the past century: the detection of gravitational waves.
- Maura McLaughlin and Duncan Larimer from the Department of Physics and Astronomy were part of a global team of astronomers who detected for the first time repeating short-duration bursts of radio waves from an enigmatic source, likely located well beyond the edge of the Milky Way galaxy.
All Ph.D. programs and most M.S. programs at West Virginia University are research-based. Take a closer look at some of our programs or discover what field is right for you in our Graduate Catalog:
- The Entomology Program conducts diverse research projects necessary to the state of West Virginia agriculture, forestry and beyond.
- The Geography program is engaged in local, regional and global research focused on a variety of subjects including climate change, political geography, digital humanities, forest ecosystem modeling, conservation science, humanitarianism and more.
- The Social Work PhD conducts community-focused research. Reflecting the mission of WVU as a R1 land-grant institution, their goal is to advance education, healthcare, and prosperity for all by intentionally promoting research that has significant impact on people’s lives.
- Chemistry graduate students look deeply into what makes our world work, on a chemical and molecular level through research intensive investigation.
Are you interested in learning more about graduate study and what a research-based program can offer you? We’ve compiled a resource— A Guide to Research-Based Graduate Programs at WVU — to help you in your search.
