Best Online Master’s Programs in Mississippi 2023

Published: May 11, 2022
Updated: Sep 8, 2023

Find the best online colleges in Mississippi ranked by the academic success of faculty and alumni associated with the colleges and universities and their online degree programs. Faculty and alumni with influential ideas are the foundation of respectable online degree programs employers can trust.

Top 10 Online Master's Programs in Mississippi

University of Mississippi
Mississippi State University
Jackson State University
University of Southern Mississippi
Mississippi College
Alcorn State University
Mississippi University for Women
Delta State University
Belhaven University
William Carey University

Delta State University 100%
Mississippi University for Women 99%
Blue Mountain College 99%
University of Southern Mississippi 96%
University of Mississippi 90%
Mississippi Valley State University 79%
Wesley Biblical Seminary 79%
Mississippi State University 76%
Belhaven University 64%
Jackson State University 62%

University of Southern Mississippi 18 to 1
Blue Mountain College 17 to 1
University of Mississippi 16 to 1
Mississippi State University 16 to 1
Alcorn State University 16 to 1
Mississippi College 15 to 1
Jackson State University 14 to 1
William Carey University 14 to 1
Mississippi Valley State University 13 to 1
Mississippi University for Women 12 to 1

Belhaven University $27,825
Mississippi College $20,364
Blue Mountain College $17,380
William Carey University $14,100
Wesley Biblical Seminary $11,000
Mississippi State University $9,110
University of Southern Mississippi $9,094
University of Mississippi $8,934
Delta State University $8,360
Jackson State University $8,270

Wesley Biblical Seminary $16,500
Mississippi College $12,060
William Carey University $11,875
Blue Mountain College $11,535
Belhaven University $10,530
Mississippi State University $9,110
University of Southern Mississippi $9,094
University of Mississippi $8,938
Jackson State University $8,270
Delta State University $8,190

Wesley Biblical Seminary
Blue Mountain College
Mississippi Valley State University
William Carey University
Belhaven University
Delta State University
Mississippi University for Women
Alcorn State University
Mississippi College
University of Southern Mississippi

Alcorn State University 39%
Mississippi College 49%
William Carey University 57%
Jackson State University 62%
Belhaven University 64%
Mississippi State University 76%
Wesley Biblical Seminary 79%
Mississippi Valley State University 79%
University of Mississippi 90%
University of Southern Mississippi 96%

Belhaven University 8 to 1
Delta State University 11 to 1
Mississippi University for Women 12 to 1
Mississippi Valley State University 13 to 1
Jackson State University 14 to 1
William Carey University 14 to 1
Mississippi College 15 to 1
University of Mississippi 16 to 1
Mississippi State University 16 to 1
Alcorn State University 16 to 1

Mississippi Valley State University $7,068
Mississippi University for Women $7,756
Alcorn State University $8,176
Jackson State University $8,270
Delta State University $8,360
University of Mississippi $8,934
University of Southern Mississippi $9,094
Mississippi State University $9,110
Wesley Biblical Seminary $11,000
William Carey University $14,100

Mississippi University for Women $7,656
Alcorn State University $7,785
Mississippi Valley State University $7,882
Delta State University $8,190
Jackson State University $8,270
University of Mississippi $8,938
University of Southern Mississippi $9,094
Mississippi State University $9,110
Belhaven University $10,530
Blue Mountain College $11,535

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Mississippi

The majority of the learning institutes in Mississippi are public schools, with the University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, being the largest. This university, located in Oxford, boasts alumni like William Faulkner, John Grisham, and James Meredith. Tuition at Ole Miss runs about $9,000, just below the national average. The eight private colleges, all of which have religious affiliations, range in tuition costs from $10,000 at Rust College to $40,000 at Millsaps College.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

Students who attend these schools have the option to pursue degrees in fields like nursing, business, dentistry, Christian ministry, education, and literature. Additionally, all of these private schools are considered small schools, serving under 5,000 students. Mississippi also offers up to $12,000 of undergraduate loan forgiveness, over the course of four years, for teachers who work in designated shortage areas or who teach in critical shortage subjects, like special education or mathematics.

From Mississippi mud pie to fried chicken, Mississippi brings a whole new meaning to the term comfort food. The Magnolia State is easy on the eyes too. With nearly endless forests spilling over with hickory, pine, and oak trees, the intricate river system, and the Gulf Island National Seashore, Mississippi is a true destination for lovers of outdoor adventure. And students who plan on earning their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in Mississippi have 31 colleges and universities to choose from.

Explore some of the top schools and career paths Mississippi has to offer.

What are Mississippi’s Colleges & Universities?

Mississippi’s Best Overall

Online master’s degrees offered by respected colleges and universities are generally respected by employers. The main thing to consider about your online master’s choices is whether the school name is well known and respected. In many cases, employers won’t know your degree was earned online. But even if they do, a degree from a respected college is automatically to your benefit.

We rank the colleges and universities in this list by the influence of their alumni and faculty. For master’s degree students, including online master’s degree students, having faculty who are influential in your field matters a lot. It’s a big indicator that you have the chance to get a quality education. And, knowing that you will join an alumni association with some impressive people is nice, too.

Frequently Asked Questions About Online Master’s Degrees

An online master’s degree costs about $40,000 for the average grad student. However, the cost of your online master’s degree will depend on the type of grad school you attend. In 2018-2019, the average cost for a year of tuition in a public grad school was $12,171. The average cost for a year of tuition in private, non-profit grad school was $27,776. An online master’s degree will usually cost about the same as a traditional master’s degree. Some schools will charge 5-10% more for online courses. This added cost pays for the technology and specialized training needed for online instruction. But getting a master’s degree online can also help you save money. The costs above don’t include expenses like housing, transportation, or certain campus fees. As an online grad student, you can save a lot of money by avoiding these added expenses. Many online master’s degree programs are also accelerated. Most master’s degree programs are designed to be completed in two years. But you may be able to earn your online master’s degree in as little as 12-18 months. Earning an accelerated online master’s degree can save you money on tuition.

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require some adjustment. While you’ll generally learn the same content and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, the medium will likely require you to manage much of this experience independently. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, your ability to harness the technology at your fingertips, and your ability to focus on the lectures, lessons, and assignments at hand. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take it upon yourself to build relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript or resume differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st Century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will require some adjustment.

While there is much that can be supplanted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing which can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual classroom setting. As you make the adjustment to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face is overcoming this difference in order to the get the most out of your classes. Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

How do we determine Mississippi's best online master's degree programs?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Median Salaries of Top Careers in Mississippi

The following graph depicts the average salaries of top occupations in different industries in Mississippi.

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Annual Salary

89600Management Analysts

101050Computer and Information Research Scientists

108800Chemical Engineers

109630Physicists

131600Chief Executives

Best Online Master’s Programs in Mississippi 2023

Top 10 Online Master's Programs in Mississippi

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in Mississippi

What are Mississippi’s Colleges & Universities?

Median Salaries of Top Careers in Mississippi

Best Online Master’s Program in Mississippi 2022

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Mississippi’s Best Grad Programs in Your Area Interest