Position Title: Assistant Professor

Employee Classification: LC Faculty TT/TN 9m

College/Division: Arts and Sciences College

Department: 331100-JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS

Internal or External Search: External - Open to all applicants

Location: Las Cruces

Offsite Location (if applicable):

Target Hourly/Salary Rate:  Commensurate with qualifications

Appointment Full-time Equivalency:  1.0

Exempt or Non-Exempt:  Exempt

Summary:  The Department of Journalism and Media Studies at New Mexico State University is seeking a 9-month, tenure-track Assistant Professor starting in Fall 2026. The successful candidate will teach in the field of strategic communication, including public relations and advertising.

Classification Summary:
The Department of Journalism and Media Studies at New Mexico State University invites applicants for a 9-month tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the area of strategic communication (public relations and advertising). The position begins in the Fall semester of 2026.

Classification Standard Duties:
The successful applicant will have responsibilities in the area of teaching, research, student advising, and service to the department, university, industry, and community. The position carries a course load of 9 credit hours per semester and may involve teaching classes like Introduction to Public Relations, Public Relations Storytelling, Social Media Management and Analytics, Advertising Copywriting and Creativity, and others. It also requires research or creative activities with high relevance to strategic communication and mass communication, with the potential to lead to publications in reputable academic journals and/or presses.

Required Education, Experience, Certification/License, Equivalency
Candidates must have a terminal degree (PhD, MBA, or MFA) in strategic communication, mass communication, journalism, marketing, business, or a closely related field. ABDs may be considered, but must have a degree in hand by August 17, 2026

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
The candidate must be able to teach undergraduate-level courses in strategic communication (public relations and advertising) at both the introductory and advanced levels. Preference will be given to candidates who can teach any of the following topics:
• Fundamentals of advertising
• Fundamentals of public relations
• Copywriting and creativity
• PR Storytelling
• Environmental, social, and governance PR
• Branding
• Media design
• A.I. in strategic communication
• Social media management and analytics
• Sports and entertainment PR
• Strategic communication campaigns
Ideal candidates will exhibit a keen interest in and capacity for assisting the department and students in adapting to ongoing changes in the business, methods, and technology of the strategic communication industry, while maintaining the highest standards of ethics.
Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate any of the following:
• A strong professional background working in the public relations, advertising, or marketing communications field.
• Prior higher-education teaching experience
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud applications
• Advanced knowledge of the use of AI in the strategic communication industry

Job Duties and Responsibilities
Teach public relations and advertising classes for the Department of Journalism and Media Studies in a 3/3 load, perform departmental service and outreach, conduct creative and/or scholarly research, and collaborate with other faculty on new curriculum and program development.

Preferred Qualifications

Special Requirements of the Position
Along with your application, please submit:
-A cover letter stating your experience in relation to the required and preferred qualifications and explaining your commitment to fostering a welcoming and supporting environment in the classroom, department and university.
-A teaching statement describing your teaching philosophy and pedagogical approaches.
-A Curriculum Vita
-URL Links to an online portfolio, with samples of professional and scholarly work, if applicable.
-The contact information for three references who will be contacted at a later time.

Department Contact:  Ilana Lapid, 575-646-4403, ilapid@nmsu.edu

Contingent Upon Funding: Not Applicable

Bargaining Unit Eligibility: This is NOT a bargaining unit position with American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Standard Work Schedule: Standard (M-F, 8-5)

If Not a Standard Work Schedule: 

Working Conditions and Physical Effort

Environment: Work is normally performed in a typical interior/office work environment.

Physical Effort: No or very limited physical effort required.

Lifting Requirements: Requires handling of average-weight objects up to 10 pounds or some standing or walking.

Risk: No or very limited exposure to physical risk.