Department Contact: Dr. Greg Armfield, (575) 646-4937, armfield@nmsu.edu
Internal or External Search: External - Open to all applicants
Advertising Summary: The Department of Communication Studies at New Mexico State University seeks a College Assistant Professor.
Position Details
Position Title: College Assistant Professor
College/Division: Arts and Sciences College
Department: 330450-COMMUNICATION STUDIES
Location: Las Cruces
Offsite Location (if applicable):
Target Hourly/Salary Rate: Commensurate with qualifications.
Appointment Full-time Equivalency: 1.0
FLSA Status: Exempt
Bargaining Unit Announcement: This is NOT a bargaining unit position with American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
Contingent Upon Funding: Not Applicable
Standard Work Schedule: Standard (M-F, 8-5)
If Not a Standard Work Schedule:
Job Duties and Responsibilities: College Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, college-track, nine-month position.
The Department of Communication Studies seeks a colleague to teach a 4/4 load in the fall and spring semesters and engage in service and outreach. The candidate should be a Communication Studies generalist who can teach a wide variety of core and elective communication courses in person and online in an asynchronous format. This position will also teach courses in the Honors College.
Faculty in this position are expected to teach a 4/4 course load of undergraduate courses in a face-to-face setting each spring and fall semester on the Las Cruces Campus, which offers courses in a traditional 16-week semester. Candidates will also have the opportunity to teach asynchronous online courses for the main campus and NMSU Global, which offers 8-week asynchronous courses. The department offers in-person and online undergraduate and graduate degrees. Candidates are also expected to engage in service and outreach.
Qualifications
Required Education and Experience:
Classification Standard Duties:
Faculty in this position are responsible for teaching a 4/4 load, contributing to curriculum development, participating in service and outreach activities, and engaging in strategic initiatives aligned with the university, college, and department of Communication Studies at NMSU. Faculty are expected to contribute to the department, college, and university’s mission to advance innovation and address regional, national, and global challenges through research and education.
Required Education, Experience, Certification/License, and Equivalency:
Candidates must have earned an MA in Communication or Communication Studies, or a closely related field, by the time of hire (August 16, 2027).
Experience: commitment to excellence in teaching engaging undergraduate courses in their area of expertise, student mentorship, and a strong commitment to service and outreach. Strong candidates will have taught traditional face-to-face 16-week semesters and have experience with 8-week asynchronous course formats.
Additional Qualifications:
Ability to work effectively in a collaborative and collegiate academic environment; can demonstrate a strong record of effective teaching at the collegiate level, as well as a strong desire and interest in service and outreach.
Knowledge: Advanced understanding of human communication, specifically communication studies, communication general education, course development, and online course development.
Skills: Ability to effectively teach a variety of communication courses and demonstrate effective teaching methods for collegiate courses in a face-to-face and asynchronous format.
Abilities: Comprehension and reasoning to process complex academic theories, inductive and deductive reasoning with the capacity to draw logical conclusions, active listening and comprehension skills, problem-solving skills, and the ability to handle unexpected classroom dynamics, as well as social perceptiveness. Potential to collaborate with faculty and administrators on program and course development is a distinct advantage.
Teaching and Curriculum Development: This position requires candidates to teach face-to-face and asynchronous courses in Las Cruces and develop new courses in their area of expertise. Experience with program development and program recruitment is a plus.
This position will teach Introduction to Communication Honors, the Communication general education course, and an internship/practicum course for the William Conroy Honors College each semester, as well as Medical Shadowing. In addition to duties assigned to the Honors College, the candidate will teach undergraduate core and elective courses in the Department of Communication Studies that are aligned to their specialty. This position requires a generalist with broad knowledge of Communication Studies and the ability to teach Introduction to Communication every semester and potentially teach leadership courses, communication theory and practice, organizational communication, small group, persuasion, political communication, culture, deception, and interpersonal communication. Candidates with past experience working with and/or teaching honors courses as well as online asynchronous courses, online program development, and academic recruitment are preferred. This position will work with the Department Head of Communication Studies and the Associate Dean of the Honors College.
Applicants should submit the following: 1) a letter of interest addressing teaching philosophy and professional goals as well as interest in working in our department, 2) a curriculum vitae, 3) evidence of teaching effectiveness in face-to-face and online environments, 4) a statement describing how the candidate’s teaching has been influenced by multicultural scholarship or diverse ways of thinking and learning; 5) contact information for three references who will be asked to submit electronic letters of reference if the candidate is chosen for an interview. All material must be submitted by January 3, 2027 at midnight Mountain Time. Please apply online at https://careers.nmsu.edu/jobs/search
Equivalent Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
Special Certification/Licensure:
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.