Mississippi College

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Staff
Updated August 6, 2020

Mississippi College is a private, Christian college affiliated with the Mississippi Baptist Convention. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state, founded in 1826, and the second oldest Baptist college in the country. Serving slightly more than 5,000 students across its various undergraduate and graduate degree programs, Mississippi is primarily a liberal arts and sciences college with a vision of academic excellence mixed with a commitment to the cause of Christ.

Although it's the oldest college in the state, Mississippi College does not allow itself to be stuck in the past or mired by old-fashioned learning routes. Students can take online courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, either mixed with traditional classroom learning or as a completely online degree option. Not only is the Master of Science degree described here a completely online degree program, but students also have the option of taking online courses in education, paralegal studies, and homeland security, to mention just a few. These subject areas offer programs at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels.

Mississippi College Accreditation Details

Mississippi College is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). It is also state accredited by the Mississippi Commission on College Accreditation (MCCA). Both of these are general accreditations that allow for the awarding of postsecondary academic degrees in the various subjects and majors offered. Many of the individual majors and schools are also overseen by accrediting agencies specific to the appropriate subject matter.

Mississippi College Application Requirements

Students seeking entrance to Mississippi College as freshman should start by completing the online application for admission. In addition, high school transcripts are required showing all work to date, with a finalized copy to follow once the student has graduated. Test scores should also be submitted for either the SAT or ACT for any applicants who have been out of high school for less than five years. A minimum score of 18 on the ACT or 940 on the SAT is required for admission. Finally, unless the student is seeking a degree that is completely online, an immunization certificate is required and must show that the applicant has received either a Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) immunization within the previous ten years or two in a lifetime.

Common requirements for admission to the various graduate programs involve having been awarded a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and a GPA of at least 2.5 in the undergraduate work. In addition, students should have completed the appropriate foundational courses for the graduate degree they seek. Finally, an appropriate standardized test score is required. The degree program sought dictates which standardized test and minimum score is required. For most degree programs, including the one detailed here, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is the required test, with minimum required scores in the range of 146 to 150 on each of the verbal and quantitative sections or this minimum on one of the sections and a score of at least 2.5 on the writing assessment portion.

Tuition and Financial Aid

At Mississippi College, undergraduate tuition is assessed as one sum of $8,200 per semester for a full-time block of 12 to 18 semester hours in the fall or spring semesters. Any hours over 18 are charged at the rate $514 per semester hour. For part-time or summer semesters, students are charged $514 per semester hour. Graduate level coursework costs $588 per semester hour, regardless of whether the student is full-time or part-time.

Financial Aid is available in all the usual forms of grants, scholarships, and loans. Students seeking financial aid should start by filling out the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, designating Mississippi College as a school of choice so that the appropriate information will be sent directly to the college. Any aid then received will be coordinated through the college's financial aid office.

Online Degree Available: Master of Science in Communication

The Master of Science in Communication is an applied communication generalist degree, offered both online and on campus. In the online program, the degree involves a total of 31 semester hours to complete, composed of 16 semester hours in core communications courses and 15 semester hours in communications electives. Because this is a generalist degree, students can use the electives to tailor the degree toward one or more of the specific areas offered in more concentrated degrees, although students are encouraged to choose from a list of recommended choices.

The core courses for this degree program include Communication Research, Process and Effects of Communication, Persuasion, and seminars in Mass Communication Topics and in Current Interpersonal Communication Topics. Student then choose from Communication Electives that include such courses as Negotiation, Communication Law, and Practices in Public Relations. There are also choices in International Communication and Intercultural Communication and an additional seminar choice in Journalism Ethics.

The Communication School at Mississippi College also offers an undergraduate degree in Communications. This is also a generalist degree and can be an effective stepping stone into the graduate program for students seeking careers in the various communications fields or who wish to eventually earn their doctoral degree in this field. Students with the various degrees in communications could find themselves pursuing careers in television, radio, public relations and other corporate communications fields, the sports industry, or the legal fields.

Related Resource: 30 Top Affordable Online Master's in Communication

When considering where to study and earn a college degree today, whether it be an initial four-year degree or more advanced studies at the graduate or doctoral level, considering online degree programs can provide the flexibility for busy, working adults and cost effectiveness that can benefit anyone. When you combine these features with the intimacy of a smaller, private college and the Christian values of Mississippi College, the value goes beyond the experience and learning gained from the coursework alone. Graduates of Mississippi State take their Christian values, mixed with a quality education, and go on to lucrative careers that make a difference in their own neighborhoods and in the wider world around them.

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