Data Processing at University of Southern Mississippi

Hattiesburg, MS · Public · Bachelor's Degree
51 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
50
Optimistic
51
Base Case
44
Pessimistic
Earnings $37,734/yr (-31% vs median)
AI Risk High (57% exposed)
Job Market Large (31,300 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Data Processing graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption
Base Case
Gradual AI
Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $433K $371K $261K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 11.2x 9.6x 6.8x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 9.3x 8.0x 5.6x
Viable Career Paths 1 of 1 1 of 1 1 of 1
DegreeWorth Score 50 51 44

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$38,472
Out-of-state: $46,472
Median Debt at Graduation
$22,500
7.2 months of Year 1 earnings

Career Paths

Where Data Processing graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 31,300 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Computer occupations, all other $108,970 31,300 +8.2% 57%

Compare & Explore

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Data Processing at University of Southern Mississippi?
This program scores 51/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 50 (optimistic) to 44 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Data Processing career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Data Processing graduates retain 1 of 1 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $261,425 (pessimistic) to $432,577 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Data Processing graduates?
The career paths mapped to Data Processing have roughly 31,300 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Data Processing at University of Southern Mississippi worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 9.6x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 6.8x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.