Two flagships, A&M and texas.

Texas has 2 flagships. See Dr. Bergdahl's explanation above.

According to the State Constitution, Texas has 6 university systems and all but 1, the Texas State University System, has a flagship university:

• Texas A&M University System (Texas A&M University)
  
• Texas State University System (All instutions are considered equal)
  
• Texas Tech University System (Texas Tech University)
  
• University of Houston System (University of Houston)
  
• University of North Texas System (University of North Texas)
  
• University of Texas System (University of Texas at Austin)

"Tier 1" is a research designation given by multiple, unrelated, organisations (Carnegie Foundation, U.S. News & World Report, etc.).

The Carnegie Foundation's "Tier 1" classification is based only on the amount of research dollars spent. Their highest designation for research universities is called: RU/VH: Research Universities (very high research activity). When the University of Houston is touting their "Tier One" status, this is what they're considering "Tier One." Right now in the state of Texas, only 4 universities have this classification:

• Rice University
  
• Texas A&M University
  
• University of Houston
  
• University of Texas at Austin
  

U.S. News & World Report's "National University" ranks the top 197 "Tier One" research universities individually, and the rest unranked simply as "Tier Two." 8 Universities in the state are USNWR are ranked as the "Tier One" universities.

• #17 Rice University
  
• #45 University of Texas at Austin
  
• #56 Southern Methodist University
  
• #63 Texas A&M University
  
• #79 Baylor University
  
• #99 Texas Christian University
  
• #143 University of Texas at Dallas
  
• #159 Texas Tech University
  

All this aside, the only one that really matter is membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU). The AAU, founded in 1901, is an invite-only organization made up of only the top research universities. Today, there are only 61 members, but there is not limit to the number of members, it's open to any university meeting the AAU's criteria, and a 2/3 vote of membership approval. Texas only has 3 AAU members and no matter what the Carnegie Foundation, USNWR, or the state of Texas says, these are the research powerhouse universities:

• University of Texas at Austin (1929-present)
  
• Rice University (1985-present)
  
• Texas A&M University (2001-present)
  

Bottom line: Texas has 5 flagship universities (TAMU, TTU, UH, UNT, UT Austin), 4 Carnegie Foundation "Tier One" universities (Rice, TAMU, UH, UT Austin), and 8 USNWR "Tier One" universities (Baylor, SMU, TAMU, TCU, TTU, UT Austin, UT Dallas).

...one of the top $ research universities in the country, top 10 in enrollment, top 12 in endowment, presidential library, NASA funded projects, one of only a few that are land, sea and space grant schools, leader in cloning research, etc.


see the wiki synopsis for a longer list:

Texas A&M University (often referred to as A&M or TAMU) is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas (USA). It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The seventh-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2010 was over 49,000 students in ten academic colleges. Texas A&M's designation as a land, sea, and space grant institution reflects a broad range of research with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research. The school ranks in the top 20 American research institutes in terms of funding and has made notable contributions to such fields as animal cloning and petroleum engineering.
The first public institution of higher education in Texas, the school opened on October 4, 1876[12] as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Its original mission was to educate males in farming and military techniques. Under the leadership of President James Earl Rudder, in the 1960s A&M desegregated, became coeducational, and dropped the requirement for participation in the Corps of Cadets. To reflect the institution's expanded roles and academic offerings, the Texas Legislature renamed the school to Texas A&M University in 1963. The letters "A&M," originally short for "Agricultural and Mechanical," are retained only as a link to the university's past. The school's students, alumni, and sports teams are known as "Aggies".
The main campus is one of the largest in America, spanning 5,500 acres (22 km2),[1][13] and includes the George Bush Presidential Library. Approximately one-fifth of the student body lives on campus. Texas A&M has approximately 800 officially recognized student organizations. Many students also observe the traditions of Texas A&M University, which govern daily life as well as special occasions, including sports events. Aggie sports teams compete in the Big 12 Conference. A&M operates two branches: Texas A&M at Qatar and Texas A&M University at Galveston. Working with agencies such as the Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M has a direct presence in each of the 254 counties in Texas. The university offers degrees in over 150 courses of study through ten colleges and houses 18 research institutes. Texas A&M has awarded over 320,000 degrees, including 70,000 graduate and professional degrees.
As a Senior Military College, Texas A&M is one of three public universities with a full-time, volunteer Corps of Cadets. It provides more commissioned officers to the United States Armed Forces than any other school outside of the service academies.[14]

Staff needs to ban T Shirt Aggie...one of the biggest sip trolls on here.

Not true NThomas

Every time a politician or university president clamors for more higher ed funding, they use the comparison of Texas only having 2 flagship universities and California having 9.

Each university system may have a "flagship" campus, but the state only recognizes 2.

[This message has been edited by AGnCS (edited 8/15/2011 1:06p).]

Those politicians and university presidents are throwing around a term used exclusively for university systems. Unlike other states, the Texas Constitution doesn't use the term "flagship" outside of designations for university systems.