Overview & Facts

Founded in 1910, The University of Southern Mississippi is a comprehensive doctoral and research-driven university with a proud history and an eye on the future.

In just 100 years, Southern Miss has grown from a small teachers' college into a premier research university with a national reputation for excellence in both academics and athletics.

A dual campus university, Southern Miss serves students on campuses in Hattiesburg and Long Beach, in addition to five teaching and research sites in Mississippi.

Southern Miss offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in five degree-granting colleges – Arts & Letters, Business, Education & Psychology, Health and Science & Technology. In all, Southern Miss offers more than 180 degree programs for both undergraduates and graduates.

Today, Southern Miss has a diverse student body of approximately 17,000 with students from all 50 states and 70 foreign countries. The university celebrates diversity in every sense of the word, using our rich melting pot of cultures and backgrounds to further enhance the educational experience that is Southern Miss.

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Reach

  • Southern Miss is known for creating unique programs to fill vital needs, including innovative graduate programs in Economic Development and Logistics, Trade and Transportation. The university is home to the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security, a recognized leader in development of security management processes, sports venue training and evacuation simulation systems.
  • The School of Nursing produces the highest number per year of entry-level nurses in the state. Since 1967, University of Southern Mississippi nursing programs have provided the profession with more than 5,500 nurses.
  • More than half of the teachers currently teaching in Mississippi earned their degrees at Southern Miss.
  • Reaching out to those in need remains a key component of the Southern Miss experience. Students and faculty members contribute more than 40,000 hours of volunteer service to the surrounding community annually.

Explore

  • Southern Miss scientists at the Hydrographic Science Research Center are mapping the depths of the ocean floor, providing valuable data for navigation and charting for clients ranging from the Navy to commercial vessels to recreational boaters.
  • Southern Miss is leading the way in research and response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico with scientists providing critical data on oceanographic conditions, monitoring water quality and marine life, and assessing socio-economic impacts.
  • An internationally recognized leader in polymer science and engineering research, the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials is developing, testing and formulating new composites for aerospace and marine applications. A partnership between GE Aviation and the School is focused on composites development processing for the GEnx aircraft engine.
  • Southern Miss is recognized as a Carnegie Research University with high research activity. It is the only such research university located in the coastal region stretching from Pensacola, Fla., to Corpus Christi, Texas and the only Carnegie Research University out of all the universities in Mississippi.

Achieve

  • Opportunities for students to pursue higher education at Southern Miss are supported through the unique Jubilee Scholarship program created from an anonymous $6 million donation.
  • Southern Miss has had 18 students named as prestigious Goldwater Scholars, the country’s most prestigious award for undergraduates studying the sciences.
  • Southern Miss is one of only 31 universities in the United States nationally accredited in all four arts disciplines; theater, dance, art and music.
  • Originally created to offer only teaching certificates, Southern Miss now awards more than 100 doctoral degrees each year.
  • On and off the field, the Golden Eagles are winners, having recorded 17 consecutive winning football seasons, the fourth-longest streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). In 2009, the American Football Coaches Association recognized Southern Miss as one of just nine FBS institutions to achieve a graduation rate of 90 percent or higher.

Live

  • Southern Miss is nationally ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible universities.
  • With an aim of being LEED-certified, the 864-bed Century Park Residential Complex opened for freshman students this fall. LEED, a U.S. Green Building Council designation, stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
  • The College of Business Honors House is the university’s first living/learning community residence for students. The experience offers a challenging curriculum that includes weekly seminars by faculty, book discussions, outside executive speakers, special topics seminars and service-learning projects.
  • Focused sustainability efforts have resulted in completion of the university’s Climate Action Plan aimed at making the university carbon neutral by 2050.