Department of Marine
Science | Students
| Frequently Asked Questions
What is the tuition cost?
Thirty-six (36) academic credit hours are required for the M.S.
in Hydrographic Science. Students completing the degree in one
year typically take 15 credit hours in the fall semester (beginning
mid-August), 15 credit hours in the spring semester and 6 credit
hours in the summer semester. Tuition and other fees cost for
this schedule is approximately $6,034
for Mississippi residents and $12,538
for non-Mississippi residents and foreign students. Tuition
and fee costs are subject to change each year.
Where is the Mississippi Gulf Coast and what is there to
do there?
The University of Southern Mississippi's Department of Marine
Science is located at Stennis Space Center on the Mississippi
Gulf Coast, about an hour east of New Orleans. The beaches of
the Mississippi Gulf Coast are clean and the view is largely
unencumbered by buildings. The main 26-mile beach area is viewable
from Beach Boulevard (U.S. Highway 90) with numerous parking
bays. Restrooms and piers have been thoughtfully provided. The
beach is also dotted with an assortment of colorful beach chairs,
sailboat and jet ski vendors. The Mississippi Gulf Coast is
also home to a growing casino industry, sailing, golfing, charter
fishing and more. To learn more about the Mississippi Gulf Coast,
visit http://www.gulfcoast.org/sights/discover.html.
What is cost of living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast?
The cost of living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is average
for the southeast United States and considerably lower than
the national average. A student sharing an apartment or small
house should find that $6,000 to $7,500 per year is adequate
for basic needs. For example, in the Long Beach, Mississippi
area, a modern, two-bedroom, air-conditioned, unfurnished apartment
with a fully-equipped kitchen can be found for approximately
$600 to $750 a month. No housing is available at the Stennis
Space Center and it is highly recommended that each student
have a car as the nearest towns are about twenty miles away.
How long does it take, on average, to complete each degree?
The graduate degree program, approved by the Mississippi Board
of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning, offers
a rigorous, one-year Master of Science (MS) degree in Hydrographic
Science. This non-thesis degree program requires 36 semester
hours of graduate-level courses, taught on-site, and enables
professional field hydrographers to participate in a resident
master's level program without impacting operations for employers.
A selection of elective courses is also offered that gives students
the option of completing the degree program with a practical
field orientation or with a more theoretical course of study.
What are some of the research opportunities for each degree?
The talented faculty at Southern Miss' Department of Marine
Science has proven competitive on a national scale in obtaining
research funds, allowing faculty members to participate in a
variety of national and international projects. For example,
DMS faculty are involved in research projects sponsored by the
Ocean Drilling Program and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission supported by the National Science Foundation and
the Naval Research Laboratory. Projects deal with environments
as disparate as the ocean near Antarctica and small streams
in the Rocky Mountains. DMS faculty includes a past winner of
the American Geophysical Union's Sverdrup Prize and a recent
recipient of a US Department of Interior Appreciation Award.
A recent National Science Foundation research grant to a DMS
faculty member has allowed the department to become one of a
select number of US academic institutions having specialized
mass spectrometric equipment for ultra-trace element determinations.
Are there graduate assistantships available in both Marine
Science and Hydrographic Science?
Students who pursue an MS or Ph.D. in Marine Science and those
who have an opportunity to pursue their MS in Hydrographic Science
over two years are eligible for graduate research assistantships
which include a full tuition waiver. Students receiving an assistantship
are required to work 20 hours per week assisting in research
being undertaken by faculty members.
Last
modified:
December 2, 2003 8:51 AM
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