Department/Organization
217401 - Consumer Sciences
Rank
Assistant/Associate Professor
Position Summary
The Department of Consumer Sciences in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Alabama is seeking an Assistant/Associate Professor to collaborate with existing faculty to expand undergraduate and graduate programs in consumer sciences, and family financial planning and counseling.
Detailed Position Information
The Department of Consumer Sciences in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Alabama is seeking an Assistant/Associate Professor to collaborate with existing faculty to expand undergraduate and graduate programs in consumer sciences, and family financial planning and counseling.
The successful candidate will build and maintain a nationally recognized program of research; teach undergraduate and graduate courses on campus and online; serve on department, college, and university committees; mentor undergraduate and graduate students; and seek external funding to support both instruction and research.
The successful candidate will have completed a doctoral degree in financial planning, consumer sciences, family resource management, consumer economics, applied economics, or a closely related field prior to employment. The successful candidate will have provided evidence of effective teaching; evidence of an emerging or established research publication record appropriate for position rank; and evidence of involvement with relevant professional organizations. Experience developing and teaching both online and on-campus graduate courses in financial planning, personal finance, consumer economics, or closely related field is desirable. To be hired as an assistant professor, a doctoral degree must be conferred prior to the start date or the offer may be withdrawn. To be hired as an associate professor, in addition to the requirements for assistant professor, evidence of research productivity and teaching record must meet the department’s promotion and tenure standards.
The department offers a bachelor's degree in Consumer Sciences where students may select a concentration in consumer affairs, family financial planning and counseling, or digital consumer engagement. Undergraduate students may also earn minors in conflict resolution and/or personal finance. The department also offers a master's degree in Consumer Sciences, with a concentration in family financial planning and counseling. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who may teach in two of the department’s concentration and/or minor areas. The department also offers a graduate certificate in conflict resolution. These degree options are pursued by approximately 200 undergraduate majors, 165 minors, and 85 graduate students.
Responsibilities:
• Establish and maintain a nationally recognized research program.
• Seek external funding to support instruction, service, and/or research.
• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses as assigned on campus and online.
• Serve on department, college, and university committees.
• Recruit, mentor, and advise undergraduate and graduate students.
Minimum Qualifications
Ph.D. in consumer sciences, consumer affairs, family resource management, financial planning, consumer economics, family finance, applied economics, housing, or a closely related field required.
Evidence of an emerging (assistant professor) or significant and established (associate professor) research program in consumer sciences, family resource management, financial planning, financial counseling, or a closely related field.
Evidence of the ability to teach undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in the consumer science and financial planning and counseling content areas offered by the department.
Preferred Qualifications
Demonstrated record of scholarly research, peer-reviewed publications, and external grant-seeking that complements current departmental faculty expertise. If a candidate's expertise indicates that they would teach courses in our family financial planning and counseling concentration areas, then a current CFP® and/or AFC® is also preferred. Review of applicants will begin immediately, but priority consideration will be given for candidates who have applied by November 20, 2026.
Instructions and Required Materials for Application
Applicants should submit: • Cover letter that describes the applicant's qualifications • Curriculum vitae • Names and contact information of three professional references who may be contacted for letters of reference at a later date. Note that letters are NOT required unless requested by the search committee.
About the Division/College/School
At the College of Human Environmental Sciences, we empower students to bring about positive change in the world. Our faculty conduct advanced research, provide outreach and prepare a new generation of professionals with a shared goal of improving lives.
CHES brings together a wide range of disciplines which focus on the interaction between individuals, families and the environment. Five distinct departments cover a multitude of human science programs that help individuals across the lifespan improve their mental, physical and financial well-being. We touch people’s lives in the home, at school, in the workplace, at the dinner table, on the athletic field, and in a myriad of other arenas.
About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.
In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.
UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.
For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.
UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.
Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.
The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.
Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Background Investigation Statement: Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.
Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. More information is available in the EEOC’s Know Your Rights: Workplace (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf) discrimination is illegal poster.
The University of Alabama affirms its longstanding commitment to institutional neutrality, free speech, and academic freedom.
