UMass Named One of the World’s Most Innovative Universities

We are excited to announce that for a second year in a row, UMass has made Reuters Top 100 list of the world’s most innovative universities!

President Meehan said that a big part of UMass being on this list is due to the innovative and committed faculty at the university. 

UMass ranked 52nd in the influential list, which is up five spots from last year. This is quite the accomplishment as the university shares a place on the list with Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University, the top three universities on the list. Not only does the university have to be innovative to earn a spot in this prestigious group, professors must be researching and a large part of the score is based on patent filings. According to Reuters, the idea behind these metrics is to find the universities doing the most to advance science, invent new technologies, and help to drive the economy globally. 

Reuters noted that while some schools are just as competitive, patents and faculty research are heavily weighted and must be within a certain date range to be considered for the list. If the patent filing is too old it will not count as innovation for the institution. Thompson Reuters begins their process by looking at 600 global organizations and using 10 different metrics, then whittles down the list to 100 ranked based on their performance. The pool of 600 also includes non-profit organizations and government-funded labs in addition to educational institutions.

UMass is rising to become a research powerhouse with $629 million in research and development, which places the university among the top three research universities in the state next to MIT and Harvard. In 2016 alone, the university was awarded with 66 patents and ranked among the top universities granted U.S. patents last year. 

The university ranked in the Top 200 in the recently released 2016-2017 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, which rated 980 institutions globally. UMass placed first among New England public universities and 29th among all U.S. public institutions.  These annual rankings are considered to be one of the most influential rankings of universities internationally.

What does this mean for students? 

UMass is not only a top place to learn in the classroom but it is not uncommon to come across a university professor doing incredible things in their field. Massachusetts and Boston especially has made a commitment to innovation and it was only fitting that UMass follow suit. Online students and on-campus students alike have an incredible opportunity to learn at a world-renowned research university. But don’t take our word for it--come try one of our classes or speak with one of our incredible advisors about a program offered here. 

To learn more about what programs are offered visit the following links to  UMass' on-campus and online degree and certificate programs.