ASU ranked as most innovative university for 5th year in a row

Every year, U.S. News and World Report ranks its top universities in the country in everything from best value to best universities for veterans. The university with the top spot in innovation was none other than Arizona State University.

This is the fifth year in a row that the university took the top slot for innovation. And since the report has only featured the category, which highlights the school’s research and partnership efforts, for four years, ASU is the only school to hold the title.

The report compares more than 1,500 institutions from across the country on a wide range of metrics and hands out awards based off feedback from a survey of peers. College provosts, presidents, and deans around the country sent in their submissions for their top 15 schools that are making innovation a top priority in a changing economy and education climate with improvements to curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, and technology.

“More than simply tallying the innovative things we do, this ranking recognizes ASU’s innovation mindset,” said ASU President Michael M. Crow. “It acknowledges something important about who we are and who we will continue to be: a university that brings diverse intellects together to solve the most pressing issues of our time.”

Georgia State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge took second and third behind ASU, respectively.

ASU has increasingly received recognition as a university with innovation and sustainability on its mind. As a co-founder of a coalition of 11 major public research universities, chaired by President Crow, ASU is helping to increase the number of college graduates in the United States.

ASU also ranked 11th in the country for undergraduate teaching and was recognized as a school that’s making efforts to expand its use of adaptive learning, which combines online and classroom work to help students have a solid grasp on their subject before moving on to the field in which they want to work.

For example, the supply chain program at the W.P. Carey School of Business was ranked as the second best in the country, ticking up from fourth in last year’s rankings, landing ahead of MIT, Penn State, and the Ohio State University.

While many may think that innovation relates solely to technology studies in areas like sustainability, the report focuses on how the school is changing the way students learn and professionals are trained. This has been evident in a number of newer programs at ASU including a partnership with the National World War II Museum in New Orleans to offer an online master’s program in World War II studies. Also, ASU is the first university to offer a biology lab conducted purely in virtual reality. Online students can use headsets to manipulate DNA and take care of dissections.