Howard University has a rich diversity of programs, resources, and funds for the support of research by members of the Graduate Faculty and their graduate students. The members of the Graduate Faculty in 27 Ph.D. programs and 30 master's and 9 M.D./P.H.D. degree programs are qualified to serve as mentors for graduate students who wish to conduct research in graduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Allied Health Sciences; College of Medicine, College of Engineering, Architecture, and Computer Sciences; School of Education, School of Communications, and the School of Social Work as well as research centers and institutes at the University.

Members of the Graduate Faculty and their graduate students have extensive access to more than 1.6 million volumes, 2.6 million microforms, 14,000 current periodicals housed in Howard libraries, and over 3,000 full-text online journals. These libraries offer computerized, research library system. In addition, students have access to the Library of Congress and numerous libraries in a local consortium of universities. 

Research in the Graduate School is facilitated by state-of-the art computer facilities that provide not only access to mainframe and PC operations, as well as the usual computer peripherals, but also to extensive hands-on training in the use of all of the major computer programs and equipment required by graduate students for conducting research projects.

Howard University has sufficient major research programs, research institutes, and research centers for the conduct of investigations of virtually any scope, magnitude, or focus within the purview of the Graduate School. The marked increase in the quality, productivity, and quantity of research at Howard University has received special recognition in a classification by research status of approximately 3,400 colleges and universities in the nation completed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The highest category  is Doctoral /Research University - Extensive, formerly Research I University.  Of the 3,400 colleges and universities, Howard University is one of fewer than 88 research institutions, the only HBCU, and one of only 26 private universities with this distinction. With the addition of a strong research capability to its decades-long tradition of special teaching effectiveness, Howard University occupies a truly unique position in the spectrum of comprehensive Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher learning.