<p>How do you define a public "flagship" Is it the main campus rather than the offshoots? Would that give Cal flagship status in CA but not the other UC schools? Just curious. Thanks!</p>
<p>In most states, most people would define "flagship" as the top campus each of the one or two systems in the state. ie, for Texas, UT at Austin, and TAMU College Station. University of Washington, Washington State. California is harder, since Cal Berkely and UCLA vie for the top and the Cal States don't get the same rep.
But yes, it's the main campus for the offshoots. (Sorry, UCLA, the bears got there first)</p>
<p>California is one of the few states without a clear flagship, as it has several very strong campuses. If it has one, it would be Berkeley (as the oldest and best known), but it isn't as clear as it is in other states. Often a flagship will be the biggest school, and it is always the best known (and the most selective).
Generally a state's flagship is known only as the university of x_state, even though technically there may be several campuses of that university. For instance, the "University of Michigan" (that state's flagship) refers specifically to the campus at Ann Arbor, even though there are two other campuses, Flint and Dearborn in the system. Similarly the "University of Texas" refers to the campus at Austin, even though the system includes nine campuses.
When one says "University of California" in contrast, the system as a whole is usually what is meant (though "Cal" refers to the campus at Berkeley), and the UC system is one of the few in the country to have multiple prestigious, highly ranked campuses. Berkeley would be the flagship if you had to choose, but it isn't as dominating a presence in CA education as Ann Arbor is in Michigan.</p>
<p>In many states, Missouri included, the flagship campus contains the majority of the doctoral programs and the professional schools, including the law school, medical school and veterinary college, and it is where the vast majority of external research funds can be found.</p>
<p>I had never heard the term before CC. Maybe because I've never lived anywhere but in CA and as a previous poster said it's a little more muddled here. Thanks again for all the answers!</p>
<p>It's muddled in New York state also, regarding who's the "flagship" SUNY. Also, according to this article, the SUNY's founded in the late 1940's can't compare in research terms with older privates in NY State such as Cornell, NYU. This is a different scene than in the Midwest. Not my opinions, just what I'm reading in this article.</p>
<p>When I lived in Massachusetts, UMass-Amherst was regularly described as the flagship public. Even though the medical school is on a separate campus, Amherst has the graduate programs and most of the research. So, I agree that the term is more meaningful in the midwest, but it is not exclusive to the midwest.</p>
<p>Coincidentally, the concept of "flagship" is much in the news in Missouri right now. University of Missouri-Columbia wants to drop the Columbia portion of the name so no one makes the mistake of thinking it is just one campus among 4 equals.</p>