Working Title: Assistant Professor of Architectural Design, Full-time, Tenure Track
State Role Title: N/A
Position Type: Instructional / Teaching Faculty
Position Status: Full-Time
FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime
College/Division: College of Visual and Performing Arts
Department: 100005 - Art Design and Art History
Pay Rate: Maximum Starting
Specify Range or Amount: $68,000
Is this a JMU only position? No
Is this a grant-funded position? No
Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No
Beginning Review Date: 01/16/2026
About JMU:
Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.
Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.
Who We Are
Situated in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.
JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.
JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.
General Information:
James Madison University's School of Art, Design, and Art History seeks a dynamic and enthusiastic candidate for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Architectural Design position in our Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program in Architectural Design. We are looking for a candidate who will engage with a collaborative community, encourage independent thought and creativity, embrace a community of belonging, and promote excellence in the making, practice, and comprehension of architectural design. We invite candidates committed to contributing to the development and direction of our growing program.
Duties and Responsibilities:
The successful candidate will have an appointment starting August 10, 2026, teaching architectural design studios and lecture/seminar classes. The candidate needs to be qualified to teach courses in materials, representation, visualization, and digital techniques, as well as architectural history and theory relevant to contemporary architectural design. Knowledge of contemporary global issues and practices in design is essential. The candidate will employ skills ranging from research, craft, hand-drawing, software proficiency, and digital and analog fabrication processes with a concentration on hybrid techniques. In addition, the role of mentorship to undergraduate students is expected along with service to the academic community at JMU and the design profession. Alongside teaching, other duties will require curriculum development, advising, and active participation in departmental and college-wide service initiatives.
Candidates are encouraged to visit the Architectural Design web page at https://www.jmu.edu/artandarthistory/programs/architectural-design.shtml and our Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jmuarcd/ for more information about our program.
Qualifications:
Required Qualifications:
· At minimum, a graduate degree in architecture, related creative field, or equivalent international terminal degree in architecture.
· An active body of scholarly work and/or creative design practice that demonstrates quality and distinction in the candidate's field of work or practice.
· Software proficiency (e.g., Rhino, Revit, Adobe Suite, etc.)
· Demonstrated commitment towards building a respectful scholarly environment
Preferred Qualifications:
· Teaching experience at the undergraduate level including design studios, electives, and technical or theoretical seminars
· Demonstrated versatility with contemporary design technologies and architectural theory, with the ability to adapt to evolving curricular needs
· Engagement and curiosity of haptic and phenomenal inquiry
· Demonstrated ability to contribute to curriculum development
· Capacity to advocate and collaborate with students, faculty, and staff
· Professional licensure or progress toward licensure is desirable
Additional Posting Information:
With over 100 full-time faculty and 1,200 full-time majors, the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) brings together the School of Art, Design, and Art History (SADAH), Music (SOM), and Theater and Dance (STAD). CVPA also houses the Office of Creative Propulsion, which supports students and faculty in ideating, launching, and refining arts-based efforts that re-imagine and disrupt traditional practices, stretch and break artistic boundaries, and promote opportunities for meaningful art and design engagement.
Our dynamic, energetic, and engaging School of Art Design and Art History employs nearly 60 full-time and part-time faculty and staff serving approximately over 620 full-time majors enrolled in B.A., B.S., B.F.A., M.A., and M.F.A., degree programs, including Studio Art, Graphic Design, Architectural Design, Industrial Design, and Art History, with Art Education certification, and minors in Art, Art History, Book Arts, and Illustration. For information about the School, please visit www.jmu.edu/art. The school also offers the Master of Fine Arts degree, a nationally ranked program by U.S. News and World Report. SADAH’s mission asks us to collaborate as creators and scholars to advance independent thought through rigorous practice and research, and contribute to the creation of a supportive and welcoming scholarly environment. SADAH has exceptional facilities, including the recently remodeled Duke Hall, a 115,000-square-foot facility with open and well-lit studios, dedicated critique spaces, high-tech seminar rooms, classrooms, lecture halls, and state-of-the-art equipment. The Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art is a leading contemporary art space featuring regional, national, and international exhibitions. The remodeled Studio Center houses design programs. And a fully equipped Fabrication Lab. Separate facilities are provided for photography, graduate studios, and ArtWorks, a student-run gallery. For information about the SADAH, please visit www.jmu.edu/art.
JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.
Candidates should complete the online application and provide the following:
-Cover Letter. In the cover letter, applicants are encouraged to discuss their research or creative practice, teaching experience and philosophy, and how they have contributed, or hope to contribute, to the classroom, program, and university community.
-Curriculum Vitae.
-Portfolio. Your portfolio for this application should be submitted as a PDF of NO MORE than 15 pages that includes examples of student/teaching work as well as professional/academic/research work as applicable to your experience (file size limit: 399MB).
-Statement of Teaching Philosophy
-Names and contact information for three professional/academic references.
Conditions of Employment:
Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.
E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.
EEO Statement:
James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.
We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.
Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.
Reasonable Accommodation:
If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.