A Guide to Online Colleges in Mississippi

Mississippi is nothing if not fertile, from its land to its culture. Among its writers include Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, Shelby Foote, Barry Hannah, Tennnessee Williams (name notwithstanding), John Grisham, and William Faulker. Brett Farve, Jerry Rice, Archie Manning, and Walter Payton learned football in the state. And Morgan Freeman, Jim Henson, James Earl Jones, Parker Posey, and Oprah Winfrey all have called Mississippi home. Still, its greatest export must be the Blues, and a brief survey of its progenitors (and offspring) should speak for itself: Charley Patton, Mississippi John Hurt, Howlin' Wolf, Robert Johnson, Albert King, Bo Diddley, B.B. King, Denise LaSalle, Muddy Waters, and Elvis Presley, among others. Of course, Mississippi has always been tied to agriculture, with tourism and entertainment being additional major economic forces today. Education, too, has played a part in the state's history, with many of its public universities among the oldest in the country. Nor have those schools loitered about the past: today, following trends across the country, many colleges and universities in Mississippi are offering online degrees to accommodate new demands in education.

In-state tuition is often applied to public schools offering online programs. Many online programs require some face-to-face time, or more numerous support services at their brick and mortar locations. Intensive study experiences — often on the weekends or in several week long bouts — enable many online students to accelerate their time until graduation. And students looking at online education can drastically expand their educational options if they also look to hybrid degrees (degrees where degrees can be taken partially, or mostly online). Finally, one of the most common stipulations in scholarships is that students be from a certain state or region, often more funds are available to students seeking degrees in-state.

There are 9 public schools in Mississippi that offer online degrees, including the University of Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi Valley State University, Delta State University, and University of Mississippi Medical Center. The largest of these is the University of Southern Mississippi, which offers 25 degrees online: 7 bachelors, 17 masters, and a PhD in Human Capital Development. From there, Ole Miss comes in second place with 19 online degrees — 5 bachelors, 13 masters, and one doctorate — and Mississippi State comes in third with 18, including 4 bachelors, 13 masters, and one doctorate. Northwest Mississippi Community College offers 11 online bachelors in a variety of disciplines, plus an associate in Business Administration. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College also offers 7 bachelors online, most of which are in Education.

Three private schools offer online degrees in Mississippi: Belhaven University, Mississippi College, and Blue Mountain College. Belhaven University is the largest provider, totaling 21 tracks, which makes it the second-largest provider in the state, behind only Southern Miss. Degrees include associates in Business and Biblical studies; 8 bachelors in Business, Accounting, Biblical Studies, Criminal Justice, Health Administration, and Interdisciplinary Studies, among others; and 11 masters, including MBA concentrations, MEd concentrations, an MHA, MPA, MS in Sports Management, and more. Mississippi College offers 4 bachelors — in Business Administration, Paralegal Studies, Nursing, and Communication — and 4 masters — in Higher Education Administration, Teaching Arts, Health Services Administration, and Athletic Administration. Blue Mountain has online bachelors in Business and Psychology.

Potential Residents

For a variety of reasons, a student may look to move to the state of their online college program whether specifically required by the program or not — be it for a job, location desirability, school benefits, etc. Different states have different policies, however, and some of them can be rather demanding. In Mississippi, all responsibilities for proof of in-state status lie with the student, who must be able to prove a permanent residency in the state (be it under a dependent or otherwise). Other factors/proofs schools may take into account include length of permanent residency, voter registration, motor vehicle registration, driver's license, income taxes, income sources, and location of bank, savings and other accounts.

The average tuition per-year for a four-year public school in Mississippi for 2015-2016 was $7,147, or nearly two-thousand dollars less than the national average. That number represents a 4% increase year-over-year, about average, but a 23% increase over a five-year period, or twice the national average. Still, as troubling as the five-year window is, residents should continue to put costs into perspective. First, several states saw larger increases than even 23%, and the modest increase from 2014-2015 hopefully signals a tapering. Most important, the sticker price remains significantly lower than the national average, and in-state students are paying less than half of some public universities elsewhere.

There are two schools within the Greater Jackson Area that offer online degrees — Mississippi College and Belhaven University. Belhaven University is the largest, with 21 tracks, makeing it the second-largest online education provider in the state, behind only Southern Miss. Degrees include 2 associates in Business and Biblical Studies; 8 bachelors in Business, Accounting, Biblical Studies, Criminal Justice, Health Administration, Interdisciplinary Studies, and more; and 11 masters, including MBA concentrations, MEd concentrations, an MHA, MPA, and an MS in Sports Management, among others. Mississippi College offers 4 bachelors — in Business Administration, Paralegal Studies, Nursing, and Communication — and 4 masters — in Higher Education Administration, Teaching Arts, Health Services Administration, and Athletic Administration. Alcorn State University in Port Gibson, just an hour-and-a-half away, offers three MBA concentrations.

There are several options for Gulfport students interested in online degrees. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, with satellite campuses in Gautier, Gulfport, Lucedale, Long Beach, and Biloxi, has 7 online degrees in Business Education, Elementary Education K-8, American Studies, Preparatory Curriculum, and General Studies, among others. For those willing to travel across state lines, Louisana and Alabama have options. In New Orleans, the University of New Orleans, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Loyola University, Tulane University, and Our Lady of Holy Cross College all offer online degrees. To the east in Mobile, the United States Sports Academy, Remington College, and the University of South Alabama offer online degrees, as well.

The University of Southern Mississippi is the main online education provider in Hattiesburg and the largest in the state, with 25 online degrees: 7 bachelors, 17 masters, and a PhD in Human Capital Development. Undergraduate offerings are diverse: Elementary Education, Special Education, Construction Engineering Technology, Industrial Engineering Technology, Nursing, and Library And Information Science, among others. Masters include MEds in Educational Administration and Special Education, MSN concentrations (Family, Psychiatric Mental Health, Adult Gerontological), an MS in Library Information Science, and more. Less than an hour-commute away, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College offers 7 online degrees in Business Education, Elementary Education K-8, American Studies, Preparatory Curriculum, and more.

Southaven's in-state options for online learning include Northwest Mississippi Community College, Blue Mountain College, and the University of Mississippi. Ole Miss is the largest of these and the third most in the state, with 19 online degrees, 5 bachelors, 13 masters, and a Doctor of Health Administration. Undergraduate tracks are largely in Health Sciences, including Health Informatics And Information Management, Laboratory Sciences, Dental Hygiene, and Radiologic Sciences. Graduate degrees include an MHA, MSN, Professional MBA, MEd concentrations, and several nursing concentrations like Mental Health, Adult-Gerontology, Family, and more. From there, Blue Mountain offers 2 associates, and NMCC has 11 bachelors and 1 associate. In Memphis, Remington College, Southwest Tennessee Community College, and University of Memphis each offer online opportunities.

The Best Online Colleges in Mississippi

Monitoring the accreditation of a university you are interested in attending is incredibly important. Accreditation ensures your credits can transfer that you can receive Federal financial aid, and most importantly that certain standards of educational quality are during your schooling. The highest accreditation standard for most programs in the United States is provided by regional accreditation agencies. The regional accrediting agency for Mississippi is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, one of six regional accrediting agencies responsible for accrediting schools in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, as well as schools for US students in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

Making sure that a University you're hoping to attend is regionally accredited — or accredited by a real and respected accrediting agency — is one of the most important choices you can make in ensuring the quality of your education.

Three Steps for Securing Financial Aid

Through the previous three steps most students find themselves offered some sort of federal grant, work study, private grant, scholarship, or stipend.

Great Mississippi Higher Education Resources