ASU awards bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees, and is broadly organized into 16 colleges and schools spread across four campuses: the original Tempe campus, the West campus in northwest Phoenix, the Polytechnic campus in eastern Mesa, and the Downtown Phoenix campus. All four campuses are accredited as a single institution by the Higher Learning Commission. The University is categorized as a Research University with very high research activity (RU/VH) as reported by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, with a research expenditure of $385 million in 2012. Arizona State is one of the appointed members of the Universities Research Association, a consortium of 86 leading research-oriented universities.
ASU’s athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA and are collectively known as the Arizona State Sun Devils. They are members of the Pacific-12 Conference and have won 23 national championships. Along with multiple athletic clubs and recreational facilities, ASU is also home to over 1,000 registered student organizations across its campuses, reflecting the diversity of the student body. With the continued growth of the student population, ASU has recently undergone numerous renovations across each of its campuses, including expansion of athletic facilities, student recreational centers and dormitories.[25] The demand for improved facilities and more student housing on campus is being addressed with public/private investment.[26] Currently, ASU’s campus housing accommodates one of the largest residential populations in the nation with over 13,000 residents:[27] a figure that will increase each year as the university continues to build more on-campus housing.
Online degree programs
ASU offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs through an entirely online platform, known as ASU Online. The degree programs delivered online hold the same accreditation as the university’s traditional face-to-face programs, and students earn many of the same degrees as those who attended courses in person. Online students are taught by the same faculty and receive the same diploma as on-campus students. As of spring 2012, more than 5,000 students were enrolled at ASU Online. ASU Online is headquartered at ASU’s SkySong campus in Scottsdale, Arizona. ASU Online was ranked #1 in online Student Services and Technology by U.S. News & World Report. ASU-Mayo Medical School Campus In late 2011, ASU launched a collaboration with the Mayo Clinic to create a medical school. As part of the collaboration with Mayo, ASU moved some academic departments onto the Mayo Clinic campus in Scottsdale. Mayo Medical and ASU have instituted an undergraduate “Barrett-Mayo Pre-medical Scholars Program” to further the ASU Clinical partnering program mission. A partnership with organizations and hospitals throughout the region has been created. The partnership will help establish a network for knowledge sharing and testing of innovation. Real-world training for students researching medical issues affecting the community will be a priority of the school. ASU-Mayo Medical School plans to begin enrolling the first students in 2014. In preparation for the medical school opening, ASU began offering health and nursing degree programs on the Mayo Clinic Campus. The program at the ASU-Mayo Clinic Campus began in the Fall of 2012 and provides a hands-on education in world-class medical facilities to its students. After the construction of the school, unique MD degrees, believed to be the first in the nation, will be granted under the governance and oversight of Mayo Medical School and Arizona State University with a specialized master’s degree in the Science of Health Care Management.