Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Carnegie Grants R2 Status to East Texas A&M

  • By Matt Jones
  • 02/20/25

East Texas A&M University in Commerce, Texas, recently announced that it has been designated a Research 2 (R2) institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, according to a news release. The R2 designation took effect on February 13 and marks the university’s commitment to research and innovation among both the Texas A&M University System and universities around the country.

The news release reports that requirements for R2 institutions include awarding at least 20 research doctoral degrees annually and showing at least $5 million in total research and development spending. East Texas A&M reported an average of 64 research doctoral degrees per year between 2020 and 2023, and it spent over $7 million on research in 2023.

The designation comes after years of positioning the university toward that goal by educating faculty and staff on research and grant opportunities and strengthening university research infrastructure. The university reports that as of 2025, there are a total of 139 R2 institutions in the U.S. Of those, 16 are in Texas.

“This prestigious designation for East Texas A&M University shows that investing in faculty and facilities really pays off,” said John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “This is the return on investments made by the Texas Legislature and the Texas A&M System's Board of Regents. This success reflects a focus on growing research budgets at all 11 universities in the Texas A&M System.”

The university held a ceremony to celebrate the milestone on Friday, Feb. 14.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.