A university in the southern US state of Mississippi was on lockdown Monday after a professor was shot dead on campus.

Delta State University sent out an alert urging students to "stay inside and away from windows" after an "active shooter" was spotted on campus.

"Please take immediate lock down action," the university wrote on Twitter shortly after 11:30 am (1530 GMT).

It later confirmed one fatality in the incident and urged students to continue to hide.

Local media identified the victim as Ethan Schmidt, a professor of American history.

Schools in the area were also on lockdown as police searched for the shooter, WLBT News reported.

Delta State is a public university which has more than 4,000 students. It is located in the small town of Cleveland about 120 miles (200 kilometers) north of Jackson, Mississippi.