The entrepreneurship emphasis is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to develop, market and manage their own business. At the core of this emphasis is the process of entrepreneurial discovery, evaluation and exploitation of business opportunities. Students are exposed to a multidisciplinary set of courses, which cut across accounting, finance, marketing and management disciplines.

However, entrepreneurship students are not only trained for business ownership, they are also uniquely prepared for careers in small business consulting, leadership and management development programs, sales management, general consulting and supervisory positions in relatively any industry. Because of their experience performing market research, preparing financial statements and investigating new business opportunities, entrepreneurship students can also pursue careers in business development and finance.

The general business emphasis is a degree preparing students for careers in a wide range of business settings. This emphasis is appropriate for students who wish to obtain a business degree but who do not wish to specialize in a single area of emphasis. The general business emphasis also allows students a great deal of flexibility to design their personalized program of study, drawing on courses in all of the business disciplines. This degree is available face-to-face and online. General business majors may not declare another business major or a business minor.

The BSBA in finance provides students with a strong foundation in theory, analytical tools and problem-solving methods fundamental to the financial management of all businesses and especially to firms in the financial sector such as banking, insurance, real estate investment, financial planning and portfolio management.

Students are prepared for careers in financial management, banks and other financial institutions and the government agencies that oversee the financial sector. Students can emphasize real estate to prepare for agent and broker licenses and careers in mortgage finance, real estate investment and management.

The international business major is designed to prepare students for positions with international business firms operating in the global environment as well as state and federal agencies involved in facilitating export-import processes.

The program of study in human resources management has three objectives: (1) to provide students with concepts, knowledge and skills required in the effective human resources management of organizations; (2) to prepare students for employment that will lead to professional positions in the human resources management field; and (3) to provide students both a theoretical and applicable understanding of sound human resources practices and management.

Students emphasizing in human resources management may choose coursework options from the various field of human resources management to include: compensation and performance management, leadership, organizational behavior, and organizational staffing and development.  Students may also choose from human resources related classes outside of the School of Management to include labor economics and industrial and organizational psychology.  The human resources management degree program prepares students for leadership success in many career fields in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, with specific focus on compensation and benefits, employee relations, human resources information systems, industrial relations, talent acquisition, and training and development.  Titles of positions include generalist, specialist, manager, and director.

The program of study in management aims to (a) provide students with concepts, knowledge and skills required in the effective management of organizations, (b) prepare students for employment that will lead to positions of managerial responsibility, and (c) make education in general management available to students pursuing technical, educational and professional careers.

Students majoring in management may choose coursework options to form a broadly defined program to include entrepreneurship, international management, supply chain management, and leadership. The management degree program prepares students for leadership success in many career fields in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors in positions such as plant, operations or general manager, business development manager, or business analyst.  

Marketing is an applied based program with an internationally recognized faculty who use their expertise to help build student knowledge (concepts, terms, theories) and enhance students' problem-solving skills (creative and critical thinking, communication, collaboration). Students are challenged to apply the knowledge and skills on group projects and to effectively communicate with business professionals. A wide variety of professionalism opportunities are available, including student organizations, certificate programs, internships, study abroad programs, research opportunities, and advanced courses. Our faculty aim to connect with and challenge students to build character along with marketing know-how. We don't give our students what they want in the moment; we give them what they need to be successful marketing professionals. 

Marketing is central to all business efforts. Without marketing efforts used to secure customers and establish profitable long-term relationships, there is nothing to count, invest, or manage. Therefore, our students have many career opportunities that go beyond a position in a marketing program. Some of the career options available to our graduates include advertising, sales, retailing, purchasing, marketing research, public relations, product/brand management, and social media marketing. Graduates have had success in securing jobs in pharmaceutical, consumer products, and professional services industries. Since more than half of all American workers are employed in marketing-related fields, the marketing major can target numerous career choices in the commercial/industrial, institutional and government sectors. In addition, a marketing degree is excellent preparation for entrepreneurship and small business management.

The computer engineering curriculum deals with all aspects of designing, building, and programming of computer systems. It combines fundamentals of computer science and electrical engineering in one major, as it introduces students to both hardware (electronic circuits) and software (programming) of computer systems. This degree program prepares graduates for successful, profitable, and lifelong careers in computer systems design, mobile and embedded computing devices, sensor networks, reconfigurable logic, software engineering, cyber security, Internet of Things, and machine intelligence applications.

Newly established laboratories and facilities support the program in educating students to become computer engineers for the design, implementation, maintenance, and security assurance of computing, control, and communication systems. Graduates of the program will pursue job opportunities in the various industry, government, manufacturing, and business employers in Mississippi and throughout the region.

The information technology program prepares its graduates to design, implement and administer complex client-server information systems. The program includes coursework in local and wide-area networking, network security, network management, network design as well as application development and virtualization technologies. The information technology major is offered under the ITC designation.

Graduates of the broad-based curriculum in hardware, operating systems and application design find employment as systems administrators, systems analysts, network administrators, solution developers, web masters, as well as in other technology related job fields.  The information technology program is part of the Cisco Networking Academy Program and is a local academy for the CCNA and IT Foundations courses which can lead to industry certification.  The program also provides access to Microsoft and VMWare software via annual subscriptions, as well as, security training through Fortinet Academy on latest firewall technologies.  The academies and subscriptions allow ITC students to achieve a mastery of the knowledge and skills on the most current technologies being used in industry environments globally.

The architectural engineering technology program educates future architectural engineering technologists in the process of producing and documenting design projects from schematics through construction. The program is designed to prepare its graduates for employment in architecturally related firms, including architects' offices, design-build firms, engineering firms, governmental agencies, real estate development firms, planning offices, and materials suppliers and manufacturers. Major courses of study include architectural design, architectural history, architectural working drawings, building materials, computer-aided design and drafting, electrical systems, estimating, mechanical systems, specifications, structural design, and building information management. Students desiring to transfer to a school of architecture should consult with their advisor early in their courses of study.

The BS in ocean engineering reflects the school's emphasis on the "Blue Economy" and the need for students who are ready for employment in areas such as shipbuilding, the maritime industry, offshore oil and gas exploration, environmental monitoring, port operations, coastal engineering and more. The program in ocean engineering is one of only ten programs in the nation and will prepare students well for the growing needs of this economic sector.

Students may complete the freshman and sophomore years of their program at either the Hattiesburg or Gulf Park campuses. The junior and senior years of the program are delivered at Gulf Park exclusively, where students will have access to specialized classes that utilize laboratory facilities in Long Beach and the Gulfport Port Facility.

The mission of the Bachelor of Science degree program in polymer science and engineering is to provide students with necessary preparation to excel in industry as highly competent polymer engineers or to pursue advanced degrees.  The vision of the polymer science and engineering program is to be recognized as a regional, national, and international leader in the development of polymer scientists and engineers by industry and academia.

The Bachelor of Science degree program in athletic training (AT) is designed to provide students with a firm foundation in the professional preparation for a career in athletic training.

Upon successful completion of the academic degree in athletic training, the student is eligible to sit for the Board of Certification (BOC) exam. Students who pass the BOC exam may be employed at various settings such as high schools, clinic outreach programs, clinics, colleges and universities, professional sports, industrial wellness centers and performing arts.

The Biology curriculum builds a foundation in organismal biology, genetics and cellular biology, physiology, and ecology as well as chemistry, physics, and statistics. Students then have flexibility in choosing specific courses  that are tailored to fit specific career goals. Laboratories, field studies, and internships train students with practical skills, writing and speaking ability, and critical thinking to be more competitive in the job market and to prepare them for professional school or post-graduate studies.

The Biology curriculum builds a foundation in organismal biology, genetics and cellular biology, physiology, and ecology as well as chemistry, physics, and statistics. Students then have flexibility in choosing specific courses  that are tailored to fit specific career goals. Laboratories, field studies, and internships train students with practical skills, writing and speaking ability, and critical thinking to be more competitive in the job market and to prepare them for professional school or post-graduate studies.

The Biology curriculum builds a foundation in organismal biology, genetics and cellular biology, physiology, and ecology as well as chemistry, physics, and statistics. Students then have flexibility in choosing specific courses  that are tailored to fit specific career goals. Laboratories, field studies, and internships train students with practical skills, writing and speaking ability, and critical thinking to be more competitive in the job market and to prepare them for professional school or post-graduate studies.

The Biology curriculum builds a foundation in organismal biology, genetics and cellular biology, physiology, and ecology as well as chemistry, physics, and statistics. Students then have flexibility in choosing specific courses  that are tailored to fit specific career goals. Laboratories, field studies, and internships train students with practical skills, writing and speaking ability, and critical thinking to be more competitive in the job market and to prepare them for professional school or post-graduate studies.

The Biology curriculum builds a foundation in organismal biology, genetics and cellular biology, physiology, and ecology as well as chemistry, physics, and statistics. Students then have flexibility in choosing specific courses  that are tailored to fit specific career goals. Laboratories, field studies, and internships train students with practical skills, writing and speaking ability, and critical thinking to be more competitive in the job market and to prepare them for professional school or post-graduate studies.

The program in chemistry offers a BS degree that is an American Chemical Society (ACS)-certified emphasis in chemistry. This degree prepares students for careers in private industry or government and for admission to graduate programs in the chemical sciences or medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and other science-related professional programs.

Students completing this emphasis are certified by the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society. Students interested in using this emphasis as preparation for admission to a professional school should consult with a pre-professional advisor about taking additional life sciences courses.

The biochemistry emphasis in chemistry is an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) accredited emphasis in biochemistry. This degree prepares students for careers in private industry or government and for admission to graduate programs in the chemical sciences or medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and other science-related professional programs.