North Mississippi supports many public school districts including county, municipal, and agricultural high schools, that meet the educational needs of their students in a superior, innovative manner. The public school districts operate many educational facilities which offer everything from a traditional curriculum to magnet schools. Programs include special curriculum themes and instructional approaches; comprehensive special education; vocational-technical classes with on-the-job training; courses via satellite; after-school programs; advanced placement; gifted, accelerated and honors programs; athletics and extracurricular activities.
All public school districts are accredited by the Mississippi State Department of Education. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools also accredits various middle and secondary schools within North Mississippi. All teachers in the district are certified and meet state standards. Many certified personnel hold advanced degrees.
North Mississippi public school districts have an excellent progressive attitude, evidenced by the educational reform efforts; expanding course offerings, improved student test scores, new construction programs and special programs that have been undertaken to prepare students to be quality workers, competent leaders, and supportive members of their communities.
Private Schools
As an alternative to public schools, private and parochial schools are located throughout North Mississippi to meet the diverse educational needs of the area. Over 50 private and parochial schools covering elementary and /or secondary grades as well as preschools and kindergartens offer a Christian education, A-beka curriculum, tutoring, a college preparatory curriculum and special programs in North Mississippi.
Education and Training
Mississippi’s Workforce Education Act of 1994
This act provided for the creation and development of a regionally based system in Mississippi for education and training which: responds to the needs of Mississippi’s workforce and employers; is driven by the demands of industry and a competitive economy; makes maximum use of limited resources; and provides for continuing improvements through constant assessment of the results of education for individual workers and employers.
In the 1998 legislative session, the legislature combined Industrial Services from the State Department of Education with the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges Workforce Development Program to locate all workforces training with the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges.
Each of the seven community colleges in the region has a workforce development center located within its district.
East Central Community College
East Central Community College , located in Decatur , Mississippi , is a community college that thrives on academic excellence. Serving its five-county district consisting of Leake, Neshoba, Newton , Scott, and Winston counties, East Central offers a variety of programs. East Central Community College demonstrates accessibility, affordability, excellence, and integrity in teaching and learning by providing university transfer education, career-technical programs, workforce development services, and basic skills offerings to meet the life-long learning needs to its diverse students and community. East Central Community College is committed to providing educational opportunities and services to assist individuals in meeting their goals for life and work.
East Mississippi Community College
Business and industry needs are met through the East Mississippi Community College Skill/Tech One Stop Career Centers. Skill/Tech serves as training for six county districts workforce. The centers in Scooba and Mayhew are staffed with highly trained professionals, knowledgeable about the educational and training resources available. The diversified staff works with the business and industry customer to determine and deliver comprehensive, customized workforce education. Technical Programs available at EMCC are Automotive Services Technology, Office Systems Technology, Computer Program Technology, Drafting and Design Technology, Electrical Technology and Supervision and Management Technology.
Holmes Community College Holmes Community College, a comprehensive public institution strategically located in Central Mississippi, provides innovative educational and cultural opportunities to its constituents through campus-based and distance education programs. In an every-changing world, the college seeks to prepare its graduates for university transfer, productive employment and lifelong learning by offering an Associate in Arts, degree, Associate in Applied Science degree, and Career certificates. Holmes, whose primary commitment is to excellence in all areas, offers affordable, equal access to higher education in an attractive, secure, multi-campus environment.
Hinds Community College
Hinds Community College is a comprehensive educational institution located in Jackson, MS. Hinds Community College offers pertinent and diverse educational programs and services for persons with various interests and abilities. They provide academic (college transfer) programs that parallel the first two years of four-year college studies, occupational programs to prepare students for employment, continuing education programs for unemployed, employed, or underemployed adults who need training. Hinds Community College also provides short courses, seminars, workshops, and industrial start-up training that will meet educational, business, industrial, and service needs.
Itawamba Community College
Itawamba Community College serves progressive Northeast Mississippi with campuses in Fulton and Tupelo. ICC employs a Career Development Specialist to provide assessment and career development planning for individuals wanting to improve their opportunities in the area labor market. Itawamba Community College’s Workforce Development Institute (WDI) is a partnership between the community college and area business and industry that provides customized, non-credit training for the basic employability skills needed by area employers. Customized training is provided when specific skills need to be developed, improved or enriched for production or technological advances. ICC’s Leadership Skills Program offers training designed to put supervisors and general employees in closer touch with work groups. Programs of study are available in Automotive Technology, Computer Information Systems, Diesel Equipment Technology, Draft & Design, Electronics Technology, Furniture Technology, Heating & Air Conditioning Technology, Industrial Technology, Tool & Die and Welding & Cutting.
Northeast Mississippi Community College
Located in Booneville, Mississippi, Northeast Mississippi Community College is making connections through workforce upgrade, basic training and employee development. NEMCC develops skills to upgrade training so employees can learn and adapt to new technologies. Industrial Services acts as a resource for business and industry to access all services that are provided by the State of Mississippi. Customized training plans include Forklift Certification, Blueprint Reading, Safety, Supervision & Management, PLC, Computer Software, Franklin-Covey Programs, Electronics/Robotics, Tool & Diemaking Technology, Upholstery, Industrial Maintenance, CNC, and Office Systems Technology.
Northwest Mississippi Community College
Northwest Mississippi Community College provides access for 11 counties in Northwest Mississippi and the Memphis metropolitan area. NWMCC provides exceptional education in Academics, Vocational-Technical Education, Utilization of Technology and Community Services. With campuses in Senatobia and satellite campuses in South Haven, Olive Branch and Oxford, NWMCC is responsive to the changing education and training needs of Mississippi. Courses of study at Northwest Mississippi Community College include Electronic Concepts, Hydraulics Diagnosis,Electronics, Pipe Welding, Tools & Piping, and Applied Business Mathematics.
University Information
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University located in Starkville, MS offers high quality education at the bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral levels. The university offers a liberal education for all students in a broad-based curriculum of the sciences, the arts and the technological disciplines to prepare them for productive careers and positions of leadership. Methods of inquiry and critical thinking are emphasized to prepare students to solve the complex societal problems and to engage life long learning and exploration.
Research is an integral part of the mission of Mississippi State University. It expands the frontiers of human knowledge and provides appropriate practical applications of accumulated knowledge. The Visualization, Analysis, and Imaging Laboratory (VAIL), the Center for Computational Systems (CCS), and the Computational Biology and Molecular Modeling Group are only a few of the specialized research areas that Mississippi State University focuses on.
The Visualization, Analysis and Imaging Laboratory was established to address the need to extract information from multidimensional data sets, obtained from computational simulations and measured (sensed) data. VAIL specialized in interactive analysis and visualization of very large scale (terascale) data sets. VAIL’s interests range from analytical visualization tools, which a single scientist might use to examine data, to presentation visualization, which are used to demonstrate results and educate the general public.
The Center for Computational Systems is a multimedia laboratory that has a broad range of research activities including grid technology research, new simulations means and methods,computational simulation environments, simulation frameworks, simulation tools, multidisciplinary simulation, chemically reactive flows, computational structural mechanics, and biomedical applications of CFD.
The Computational Biology and Molecular Modeling Group’s objective is to establish an inter-disciplinary research team in bio-molecular data management and computing, and to develop database support and numerical algorithms for bioscientists to retrieve and interpret data efficiently and to simulate important biological processes on high performance parallel computers.
The College of Engineering at MSU is in the top ten schools for research expenditures in the country. MSU’s engineering programs include: Aerospace, Agriculture & Biological, Chemical, Civil, Computer Science, Electrical & Computer, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering.
Biological engineering is that branch of the engineering profession that deals with engineering problems encountered in biological systems. The responsibilities may include the solution of the complex problems associated with the increase of world-wide population; the need for more efficient food-producing systems; controlling the deterioration of the world’s environment; replacement of living organs with artificial organs; or the creation of new engineering designs based on the inherent characteristics of living systems. The curriculum in biological engineering is an excellent program of study for pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-law, and pre-veterinary medicine students.
Cooperative education programs offered through the school of engineering is one of the first eight to gain accreditation by a newly created national review board, the Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education. Co-op participants alternate semesters between campus classes and salaried employment in their chosen field. MSU students currently are working in 38 states with more than 300 companies and government agencies.
The College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University has established a site of excellence with national recognition and preeminence in veterinary medicine. The research goal of the college is to be a positive impact on the agribusiness community of the state and nation by providing innovative solutions to problems. The challenge of excellencies at the heart of the college’s existing operation and is fundamental to its objective.
The long-term strategic research focus is in environmental health, food safety, infectious diseases and development of animal models and applications for veterinary and human health.
Mississippi University for Women
Located only 30 miles to the east of MSU, Mississippi University for Women has the highest average ACT score for entering freshmen in the state among public schools. MUW consistently wins national accolades for its academic achievements. It is ranked #1 among the best public regional liberal arts colleges in the South by U.S. News and World Report.
Two of the programs offered at MUW are Nursing, and Biological Sciences. The Division of Nursing has educational programs designed to meet the diverse lifestyles and demands of today’s students. Three distinguished programs of study lead to an Associate of Science, Bachelor of Science, or Master of Science degree.
Two majors are available in the biological science area: biology and microbiology. Students majoring in either of these areas may also prepare themselves for pre-professional programs, including pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, pre-veterinary medicine, pre-pharmacy, and medical technology.
Located on the campus of MUW is the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, one of only four national residential high schools for academically gifted students.
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, (Ole Miss) has the only school of pharmacy in the State offering a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Students in this program may choose one of six paths to follow, each preparatory for a different career. These B.S. program options are: Practice Track, Pharmaceutical Management/Marketing Track, Pharmacology/Toxicology Track, Pharmaceutics Track, Medicinal Chemistry Track, Natural Product Drug Discovery and Development Track. This four year degree is not a professional degree leading to the eligibility to sit for the national licensure examination for the practice of pharmacy, but it is required for entry into the Doctor of Pharmacy program, which is the entry-level practice degree.
The Pharm.D. is the entry-level professional degree offered by the School of Pharmacy. Coursework in this phase of the curriculum is completed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. This two-year curriculum includes both didactic and experiential components. Among the pre-requisites for admission to this program is completion of the B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences as described above.
The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy also offers a post-baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy for practicing pharmacists who wish to supplement their professional education and further develop their clinical skills. Both part-time and nontraditional programs provide flexibility for practitioners to pursue the Pharm.D. while maintaining active pharmacy practices.
