The University of Southern Mississippi is proud of our academic tradition of excellence. Accreditations by national and regional authorities validate our quality and dedication to teaching excellence. Accreditation signifies that an institution has a purpose appropriate to higher education and has resources, programs and services to accomplish and sustain that purpose.

Overall, accreditation enhances educational quality throughout the nation by ensuring that institutions meet standards established by the higher education community.

Southern Miss is committed to sustaining our tradition of integrity and quality enhancement – these tenets are the foundation of our operations of teaching, public service, research and learning.

SACSCOC Accreditation

The University of Southern Mississippi is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelor’s, master’s, specialist’s, and doctoral degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of The University of Southern Mississippi may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC's website (www.sacscoc.org).

Routine inquiries about the institution, such as admission requirements, financial aid, educational programs, etc. should be addressed directly to The University of Southern Mississippi and not the SACSCOC Office.

The accreditation of all campuses related to The University of Southern Mississippi is dependent on the continued accreditation of the parent campus. All campus sites, regardless of location or mode of delivery, are incorporated in the institution’s self-assessment and its determination of compliance with the standards.

SACSCOC accredits the institution as a whole and not specific degrees or programs. 

Program Accreditation

Below are the names and links of program-level accrediting agencies:

• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
• Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)
• Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC)
• American Bar Association Standing Committee on Paralegals Approval Commission (ABA)
• American Chemical Society (ACS) Committee on Professional Training (CPT)
• American Council for Construction Education (ACCE)
• American Psychological Association (APA) Commission on Accreditation (CoA)
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB – International)
• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
• Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE)
• Commission for Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE)
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Committee on Accreditation (COA) of the American Library Association (ALA)
• Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA)
• Council for Accreditation of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS)
• Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP)
• Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA)
• Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
• Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)
• Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Commission on Accreditation (COA)
• International Board on Standards of Competence for Hydrographic Surveyors and Nautical Cartographers (IBSC)
• International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
• Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC)
• National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)
• National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)
• National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD)
• National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)
• National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)
• National Council for Accreditation of Coaching Education [Level 3] (NCACE)