Jacksonville University has been reclassified at the doctorate level by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, a milestone that formally recognizes sustained growth across the University's doctoral programs.
Under the Carnegie Classification system, maintained by the American Council on Education, Jacksonville University is now classified as a Professions-focused Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Medium institution. The University was previously classified as Master's Colleges and Universities: Larger Programs.
What Changed
The Carnegie Classification is the framework used across American higher education to group comparable institutions. Carnegie redesigned that framework in 2025, replacing the prior system's emphasis on doctoral program counts and completer thresholds with a new formula that weighs total doctorates conferred alongside the share of an institution's degrees awarded at the graduate level. The University's move into the doctorate-granting tier is a direct result of that methodology change intersecting with real, sustained growth. Jacksonville University has roughly tripled its annual doctoral graduates over the past seven years across four programs: the Doctor of Nursing Practice, the Doctor of Occupational Therapy, the Doctor of Business Administration and the Juris Doctor.
What the Reclassification Does Not Change
This reclassification recognizes growth that has already happened and does not signal a new strategic direction. Jacksonville University is not an R1 or R2 research institution, and pursuing that designation is not a University goal. The University remains firmly committed to teaching and serving its students, as foregrounded in the 2030 Strategic Plan. The Carnegie framework maintains a separate set of research activity designations, and Jacksonville University does not carry one.
“Jacksonville University offers four doctoral programs, and the change in our classification reflects the ongoing and dedicated work of our faculty and staff,” said Jacksonville University Interim President Lisa Sutherland. “Students remain at the center of our mission, and our faculty know students by name, whether they are first-year undergraduates or doctoral candidates.”
The Growth Behind the Milestone
Health Sciences. The Keigwin School of Nursing offers the Doctor of Nursing Practice, meeting the region's critical need for advanced healthcare professionals. The Doctor of Occupational Therapy program, housed in the Brooks Rehabilitation College of Healthcare Sciences, trains students at the University's teaching facility within the Medical Mall.
Davis College of Business & Technology. The Doctor of Business Administration prepares experienced professionals to apply research methods to real-world business problems. The three-year program offers both in-person and fully online pathways.
College of Law. The College of Law's growth has also contributed to this recognition. Established downtown in the historic former Atlantic Bank building, the College received provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association in 2024 and welcomed 110 students this fall, its largest incoming class to date.
More information on the 2025 Carnegie Classification methodology is available at carnegieclassifications.acenet.edu.
