The University of Southern Mississippi, known informally as Southern Miss, is a public research university located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is situated 70 miles (110 km) north of Gulfport, Mississippi and 105 miles (169 km) northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. Southern Miss is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award baccalaureate, master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees.