by our College Data Analytics TeamFind out more about how University of Southern Mississippi Graduate School ranks, how diverse it is, what graduate degree programs are offered, and other essential facts below. Click on any of the following links to jump to that section on this page.
Each year, College Factual releases its Best Quality Schools ranking to identify graduate schools that offer a great educational experience and provide excellent student outcomes.Factors that go into these rankings include how much money students make after graduation, the number of FTE students per instructor, and how much debt students take on to attend the school.
In College Factual’s 2026 ranking of the Best Master’s Degree Schools in the U.S., University of Southern Mississippi landed the #825 spot out of the 4,630 schools analyzed for this list.In addition, Southern Miss took the #3 spot for Best Master’s Degree Schools in Mississippi.
Southern Miss was ranked #825 in the 2026 Best Doctorate Schools in the United States ranking out of the 4,630 schools that were included in the ranking.In addition, Southern Miss took the #3 spot for Best Doctorate Degree Schools in Mississippi.
### Best Graduate Certificate Schools RankingIn College Factual’s 2026 Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the United States ranking, Southern Miss took the #825 spot out of 4,630 schools. In addition, Southern Miss took the #3 spot for Best Graduate Certificate Schools in Mississippi.
Out of 4,630 schools analyzed in the 2026 Best Graduate Schools in the United States ranking, Southern Miss came in at #825. Southern Miss also ranked #3 for Best Graduate Schools in Mississippi.
For the last year in which we have data, 2,977 graduate students decided that University of Southern Mississippi was the best place for them.Since diversity is such an important part of the grad school experience, College Factual looked deeper at the demographics of these students.Keep reading to learn more.
Women make up 65.8% of the total graduate student body at Southern Miss while men make up 34.2%. These percentages may be different for specific degree programs.
Of all the graduate students at Southern Miss, around 33.1% belong to a racial-ethnic minority group.Southern Miss is popular with people from outside the United States, too. International students make up 10.3% of the graduate student population.The following chart shows the distribution of racial-ethnic groups at the school. If you click on it, you’ll find more detailed information.
The average tuition and fees for full-time graduate students is not available due to a lack of data.
The typical graduate student at Southern Miss who borrowed carries a median debt of $25,231.
Master’s degree recipients from Southern Miss earn an average early-career salary of $71,288.
Doctoral degree recipients from Southern Miss earn an average early-career salary of $157,330.
Early-career pay varies by field of study. The following table shows the graduate fields of study at Southern Miss with the highest average early-career salaries for recent graduates.
| Graduate Field of Study | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|
| Nursing | $158,724 |
| Public Health | $96,256 |
| Business Administration & Management | $83,412 |
| General Education | $80,970 |
| General Psychology | $76,825 |
| Accounting | $64,569 |
| Communication Sciences | $59,627 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | $56,413 |
| Health & Physical Education | $51,759 |
| Social Work | $50,320 |
University of Southern Mississippi is a public institution located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.The location of Southern Miss is great for students who prefer living in an urban area. Get more details about the location of University of Southern Mississippi.
Contact details for Southern Miss are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 118 College Drive # 0001, Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 |
| Phone: | 601-266-1000 |
| Website: | www.usm.edu |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/usm.edu |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/southernmiss |
67.2% of the graduate students at University of Southern Mississippi took at least one class online.Roughly 54.2% of all grad students took courses exclusively online.
Listed here are the degree programs in which the school awarded master’s degrees.
As with the master’s degree programs, only the programs that awarded doctorate degrees are shown here.
| Doctorate Degree Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 4 | — |
| Communication & Media Studies | 8 | — |
| Communication Sciences | 8 | — |
| Ecology & Systematics Biology | 3 | — |
| Economics | 6 | — |
| Educational Administration | 117 | — |
| General Biology | 4 | — |
| General Education | 82 | $80,970 |
| General English Literature | 8 | — |
| General Psychology | 15 | — |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 2 | — |
| Health & Physical Education | 1 | — |
| History | 2 | — |
| Human Resource Management | 12 | — |
| Instructional Media Design | 1 | — |
| Music | 19 | — |
| Nursing | 45 | $233,690 |
| Other Computer Sciences | 6 | — |
| Polymer & Plastics Engineering | 14 | — |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 5 | — |
Listed here are the programs in which University of Southern Mississippi awarded a graduate certificate.
| Graduate Certificate Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 5 | — |
| Digital Humanities and Textual Studies. | 2 | — |
| Health & Physical Education | 16 | — |
| Library & Information Science | 59 | — |
| Managerial Economics | 3 | — |
| Other Interdisciplinary Studies | 1 | — |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 4 | — |
Only the programs in which a post-masters certificate was awarded are shown here.
| Post-Masters Certificate Program | Annual Graduates | Avg Early-Career Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration | 1 | — |
| General Education | 4 | — |
| Instructional Media Design | 1 | — |
| Nursing | 13 | — |
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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