The University Of Southern Mississippi - Hattiesburg Campus Hattiesburg USA 2025

Since our founding in 1910, The University of Southern Mississippi has remained dedicated to preparing students for success. We deliver programs to more than 13,000 students in Hattiesburg and Long Beach, at teaching and research sites across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as well as online. We are a community-engaged Carnegie R1 university, earning distinction as one of the nation's leading research institutions.
 
Southern Miss is known for pioneering work in polymer science, ocean science, spectator sports safety and security, and bringing language to children with communication disorders. We are also a national leader in a broad range of disciplines, including cybersecurity, hydrography, nutrition, aquaculture, kinesiology, and economic development, among others. 
 
We produce graduates ready to enter fields that are leading the way in emerging technologies through programs such as computer engineering, information technology, and ocean engineering. We’re developing the next generation of business leaders, while also responding to critical workforce shortages by producing skilled professionals in education and nursing. With a tradition of excellence in the arts, we are one of only 36 public institutions in the nation accredited in four major areas of the arts. Home to the Golden Eagles, our student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division I sports.
 
With a culture marked by passion and persistence, Southern Miss is delivering graduates who are ready for life. 

The University of Southern Mississippi

Vision

The University of Southern Mississippi will emerge as the premier research university of the Gulf South – engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities.

Mission

Our primary mission is to cultivate intellectual development and creativity through the generation, dissemination, application, and preservation of knowledge.

Our Values

Our mission is supported by the values that have been formed through the history and traditions of our institution. These values are widely and deeply held beliefs of our faculty, staff, students, and administrators:

• Education provides opportunities to improve the quality of intellectual, social, economic, and personal well-being. These opportunities should be available to all who are willing and able to meet our standards of excellence.
• Our success is reflected by the degree to which our students become well-read, articulate, and creative and critical thinkers. It is measured by their display of specialized knowledge and abilities suitable to the pursuit of a career and life in our complex, ever-changing world.
• We cherish innovation in the creation and application of basic and applied research findings, creative and artistic expression, meaningful learning experiences, the scope of services provided to our students and the broader community that we sustain, and the continuing evolution of degree programs that both respond to and anticipate the evolving demands of our society, employers, and the labor market.
• Education encourages and advances the ideals of a pluralistic democratic society: civic responsibility, integrity, diversity, and ethical behavior.
• Academic freedom and shared governance are long-established and living principles at the university. We cherish the free exchange of ideas, diversity of thought, joint decision making, and individuals’ assumption of responsibility.
• We make efficient and effective use of our resources, for we are accountable to our university communities, the Board of Trustees, and taxpayers.

Our Plan

Four priorities guide The University of Southern Mississippi, each helping to support our vision. These priorities, identified through a strategic planning process in 2007-2008, provide a solid foundation for progress.

• Climate of Academic Success
• Image Development
• Community Connection
• Healthy Minds, Bodies, and Campuses

Climate of Academic Success

Our vision for a climate of academic success includes a unified environment that minimizes barriers for prospective and enrolled students, attracts and retains quality faculty and staff, embraces and reflects diversity, and produces graduates who are truly competitive in the global marketplace.

Students, faculty, and staff at Southern Miss, along with the larger community, benefit from a wide range of cultural, social, and educational experiences that yield informed, responsible, and productive citizens with a standard of lifelong learning.

University experiences are supported by quality facilities and up-to-date technology accessible to the entire university community. Educational programs adhere to rigorous standards in terms of student advisement, engagement, and mentoring; curriculum development and delivery; and the exploration and generation of scholarly work.

Students admitted to Southern Miss have every opportunity to earn a degree and acquire a comprehensive educational foundation that expands their perspectives, enhances their opportunities, and enriches our society.

Supporting Measures: Baccalaureate degrees awarded/six-year graduation rates/student return rates/square footage of new or substantially renovated facilities/accreditation for eligible programs/NSSE senior scores in the top 50 percent in each of the five benchmark areas/percentage of graduates employed in desired field or admitted to graduate school within one year of graduation