Graduate Education at Southern Miss
Opportunities for Professional Development
As part of its commitment to educating future professionals both academically and practically, The Graduate School offers you opportunities to build the necessary skills to be successful both within the academe and outside.
The Graduate School has subscribed to a new set of tools which provided students with a full set of digital academic and professional development services. Graduate students now have free access to weekly webinars, self assessments, video shorts, an app, wellness tools, academic writing help and so much more. Learn more by viewing the OnDemand PD Resources.
Professionals in Preparation is a professional development program designed to help students improve their transferable skills (leadership, effective communication, problem solving, management, etc.) making them more marketable and effective in an increasingly competitive job market. The two-semester program consists of:
• Bimonthly seminars and workshops
• Mentor-ship training
• Participation in communication competitions
The Proposal Project aims to strengthen grant-writing skills of graduate students through training and practice and increase the number of externally-funded fellowships and traineeships awarded to graduate students at Southern Miss. Grant-writing workshops will be held each fall and spring semester, providing training to enable students to identify potential funding sources, to prepare competitive proposals, and to navigate the submission process.
Letter of Intent Deadline: Friday, March 10, 2023 at 5pm
The Susan A. Siltanen Graduate Student Research Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
The symposium provides graduate students with an opportunity to present their research
to faculty, staff and students in a friendly competitive environment through oral
and poster presentations. The symposium is designed to enhance the scholarly environment
for graduate students and highlight the innovative and scholarship being done by Southern
Miss graduate students.
Presentation Slide Deadline: Friday, March 24, 2023 at 5pm
The 10th Annual Three-Minute Thesis will be taking place November 1-3, 2023. Find out more about prizes, rules, and eligibility! 3MT competitors are asked to explain their thesis or dissertation in a three-minute presentation; effectively communicating the complexity of their topic and research to a non-academic audience. The competition is a great opportunity for students to hone their 30-second elevator pitch and win prizes while doing so. Check out previous winners!
Each semester, USM Graduate students have the opportunity to apply for the Graduate Competitive Travel Award. The funds may be used to support graduate student participation in a virtual or in-person professional conference, exhibition, or other appropriate venue for purposes of presenting research or other forms of creative work in conjunction with a student’s program of study during the months of August - December, 2023.
Applicants may request up to $500 to be used for virtual conference registration fees or domestic travel or up to $1000 for approved international travel.
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A Carnegie R1 research university, USM garnered $91 million in sponsored funds.
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USM graduate students represent 40 countries and all 50 states.
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USM offers 58 doctoral, 92 master's, 1 specialist, and 19 certificate programs.