The University of Southern Mississippi, based in Hattiesburg, MS offers a fully funded Master’s in Biological Sciences. Graduate students join active research programs in molecular biology and microbiology, coastal and marine biology, and ecology and evolutionary biology. Prospective graduate students are eligible for teaching assistantships, which carry an academic year stipend, and can expect a summer stipend yielding annual support of $12,000 respectively for master’s students. Grant-supported research assistantships carry at least comparable support. It includes a tuition waiver and health insurance.