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Graduate School

Welcome from the Dean

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Dr. Katie Anthony

Thank you for your interest in pursuing a graduate degree at The University of Southern Mississippi. It is such an exciting time to become a Golden Eagle! Comprising over 23% of the total student enrollment, graduate students are huge contributors to our Carnegie R1 status as a doctoral university with very high research activity. Southern Miss faculty garnered over $91 million in extramural funds in fiscal year 2023, conducting high-impact basic and applied  research in such diverse fields as psychology, molecular biology, chemistry, polymer science, history, political science, health sciences, marine and coastal sciences, and more. Graduate students were directly involved in these research projects, publishing their work in peer-reviewed journals and presenting their data at professional conferences.

At Southern Miss, we offer face-to-face, fully online, and hybrid programs that make graduate education accessible to traditional and non-traditional students and working professionals. Our main campus is located in Hattiesburg, and Coastal USM spans the Gulf Coast from the Gulf Coast Research Lab (GCRL) in Ocean Springs to the Stennis Space Center (near Picayune). Our graduate student population is among the most diverse in the state at 54.8% white, 21.8% black/African American, 5.3% Hispanic/Latino, and over 11% international students from 31 countries. Moreover, 28% of graduate students are first generation students, the first in their family to earn a college degree.

Our microcredentials, certificate, master’s, specialist, and doctoral programs benefit students with different aspirations, including those who are interested in jobs in academia, business and industry, military, or government. An exciting new opportunity for qualified military service members is the Tuition Assistance Gap Funding program, wherein Southern Miss covers the gap between federal tuition assistance (TA) and remaining course tuition for TA-approved hours.

Importantly, we take our graduate students’ professional development seriously here at Southern Miss. We offer a variety of opportunities for students to develop transferable skills to enhance their ability to compete for jobs, competitions to encourage the development of communication skills, and competitive travel awards to support travel to professional conferences or performances, among other resources. Opportunities for professional development are found on this website.

I hope you will take a close look at all Southern Miss has to offer, reach out to the Graduate School and your program of interest, and apply. We want to help you Join Us at the Top!

Katie Anthony, Ph.D., Interim Dean of the Graduate School