University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS, United States
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
Photo: Flacourtophile, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
University of Southern Mississippi has 67 programs with reported graduate earnings. The highest is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (doctoral), where graduates earn a median $191,713 four years after finishing, against $135,401 for the same field nationally.
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
Students who return for a second year
Median earnings
$47,355
Former students who received federal aid
Source: U.S. College Scorecard, field of study, 2025
Median earnings of graduates who received federal aid, one and four years after finishing, and the median federal loan debt they borrowed at University of Southern Mississippi. The field median is the middle value for the same field and credential across every college that reports it. 92 more programs have too few graduates for earnings to be published.
Highest-earning programs
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | 70 | $82,853 | $89,904 | $81,56210% above | $27,474 |
| Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 29 | $73,017 | $82,848 | $70,61617% above | $24,913 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 56 | $55,855 | $81,740 | $85,0004% below | $19,625 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 170 | $75,230 | $72,411 | $86,02016% below | $15,304 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | 4 | $65,270 | $70,328 | $70,9751% below | N/A |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 11 | N/A | $66,142 | $60,37910% above | N/A |
| Accounting and Related Services | 64 | $49,322 | $65,861 | $73,05410% below | $16,550 |
| Chemistry | 20 | N/A | $63,856 | $66,3664% below | N/A |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 6 | $61,696 | N/A | $69,43911% below | N/A |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 35 | $45,741 | $55,959 | $77,31228% below | $22,070 |
| Data Processing | 28 | $49,531 | $55,514 | $84,09934% below | $22,406 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 177 | $35,886 | $54,909 | $53,0244% above | $20,500 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 0 | N/A | $53,436 | $67,67621% below | N/A |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 190 | $46,065 | $52,089 | $64,59019% below | $20,238 |
| Security Science and Technology | 51 | $38,942 | $51,956 | $57,50910% below | $19,750 |
| Marketing | 66 | $45,981 | $51,714 | $66,54222% below | $19,210 |
| Human Resources Management and Services | 16 | $39,531 | $51,402 | $67,02523% below | $25,000 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 62 | $26,487 | $51,381 | $58,49112% below | $20,750 |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 16 | N/A | $50,957 | $55,8939% below | $16,011 |
| Legal Support Services | 13 | $32,950 | $48,196 | $52,4448% below | $21,704 |
| Public Health | 44 | $30,745 | $47,419 | $57,39817% below | $21,667 |
| Mathematics | 13 | N/A | $47,150 | $70,62833% below | N/A |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 65 | $34,017 | $46,109 | $54,46915% below | $21,625 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 11 | N/A | $45,985 | $55,85618% below | N/A |
| Biology, General | 102 | $33,329 | $45,471 | $57,55821% below | $16,750 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 16 | $35,370 | $45,161 | $53,82516% below | $14,000 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | Not available | $39,160 | $45,056 | $49,4199% below | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 25 | $40,560 | $44,990 | $50,82711% below | $19,066 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 153 | $39,300 | $44,963 | $52,02014% below | $22,296 |
| History | 38 | $36,842 | $44,586 | $50,38712% below | $19,513 |
| Social Work | 69 | $33,279 | $42,390 | $51,85918% below | $20,500 |
| Journalism | 14 | $37,563 | $41,293 | $54,37824% below | $16,462 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | 3 | $28,512 | $41,095 | $48,36715% below | N/A |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 172 | $41,003 | $40,932 | $47,73014% below | $20,055 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 9 | N/A | $40,707 | $54,53025% below | N/A |
| English Language and Literature, General | 45 | $35,515 | $39,214 | $48,77320% below | $19,274 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | 27 | N/A | $38,599 | $41,1136% below | $25,000 |
| Psychology, General | 172 | $28,059 | $37,925 | $50,06624% below | $20,283 |
| Sociology | 17 | N/A | $36,907 | $52,10529% below | $15,000 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 20 | $30,543 | $36,771 | $49,91626% below | $21,000 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 19 | $35,454 | N/A | $47,47825% below | $18,273 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 79 | $33,492 | $33,936 | $47,26928% below | $31,000 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 11 | $32,193 | N/A | $33,7855% below | N/A |
| Political Science and Government | 22 | $31,092 | N/A | $43,08728% below | $21,383 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 17 | $22,070 | $30,864 | $40,05323% below | $25,000 |
| Library Science and Administration | 38 | $31,834 | $30,340 | $32,3016% below | $21,540 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 45 | $25,817 | N/A | $31,16117% below | $18,667 |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 101 | $64,699 | $87,139 | $95,1278% below | $33,768 |
| Education, General | 22 | N/A | $69,108 | $63,7548% above | $30,750 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 14 | $67,068 | $68,920 | $93,22826% below | N/A |
| Psychology, General | 14 | N/A | $67,434 | $67,1430% above | N/A |
| Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services | 13 | $46,140 | $58,640 | $65,74311% below | N/A |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 8 | $44,345 | $57,223 | $69,94418% below | N/A |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 27 | $51,486 | $56,218 | $65,78615% below | $35,500 |
| Public Health | 42 | $59,751 | $55,930 | $78,99829% below | $40,822 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 41 | $45,386 | $54,457 | $60,55310% below | $22,200 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 40 | $55,192 | $53,118 | $62,45015% below | $31,218 |
| Social Work | 74 | $44,476 | $51,523 | $62,59718% below | $38,270 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 10 | $46,529 | $50,650 | $58,99814% below | N/A |
| Special Education and Teaching | 6 | $45,640 | $50,482 | $63,05820% below | N/A |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 13 | $50,049 | N/A | $51,0272% below | N/A |
| Library Science and Administration | 108 | $42,783 | $48,769 | $55,97013% below | $41,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 17 | $45,037 | N/A | $55,06118% below | $29,865 |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 45 | $165,210 | $191,713 | $135,40142% above | $70,211 |
| Psychology, General | 15 | $72,863 | $105,702 | $104,4281% above | $75,927 |
| Education, General | 82 | $77,892 | $74,802 | $95,60222% below | $59,550 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 117 | $72,059 | N/A | $96,45725% below | $59,000 |
Careers linked to the programs University of Southern Mississippi reports, highest national median pay first. Pay and outlook are BLS figures for the whole occupation, not for this college's graduates.
Healthcare practitioners
Master's degree
Via Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Business/Commerce, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and 2 more
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Business/Commerce, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and 2 more
Science
Master's degree
Via Psychology, General, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Computer and Information Sciences, General, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management and 1 more
Science
Doctoral or professional degree
Via Physics, Public Health
Verified facts
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Bars show profile closeness out of 100: how near each college's graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control are to University of Southern Mississippi. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later card can score higher.
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Graduation rate 52%, close to 54%
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