Job Title: Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies

Position Status: Tenure-Track

Academic Rank: Assistant Professor

Department: Film and Media Studies

Campus Location: Main Campus

Job Summary

The Department of Film and Media Studies invites applications from fiction filmmakers for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position beginning August 2027. We seek a creative artist with a distinctive cinematic and narrative voice whose teaching fosters experimentation, collaboration, and ambitious audiovisual storytelling. Applicants should have broad experience making films from conception through production and post-production and be fully conversant with the creative processes and practices of digital filmmaking. The successful candidate must be able to teach hands-on introductory and advanced courses in production and post-production, including directing, camera technology, sound recording, and editing. The ideal candidate will also teach courses in a secondary area, which might include sound design and mixing; animation, motion graphics, and visual effects; cinematography and lighting design; production design; editing and post-production; writing for the screen/writing for television; 16 mm filmmaking; interactivity and new media; or other advanced digital or analog practices.

The position requires teaching six courses each academic year across our undergraduate Film and Media Studies major. Specific courses will include Basic Filmmaking, Advanced Filmmaking, Senior Thesis: Creative, and introductory and advanced topics courses.

The candidate must demonstrate a commitment to undergraduate teaching and mentoring and a record of creative work as evidenced by screenings in festivals and museums, for broadcast/ theatrical/ streaming, or in related venues. The successful candidate will intend to join and sustain an active learning community, to develop as an academic leader, and to participate significantly in the cultural life of the department and institution. The candidate should demonstrate the ability and commitment to engage productively with students at all skill levels, as well as an eagerness to foster a vital role for film production within the context of a liberal arts college.

Film and Media at Colorado College integrates critical studies with creative practice, preparing students to understand moving images, harness media technology, and participate actively in a swiftly changing media landscape. Students study cinema and media history, genre, and theory while pursuing creative work in a variety of forms, including fiction and documentary film, screenwriting, animation, and audio storytelling. Film and Media Studies fields an undergraduate major and minor and explicitly centers collaboration; equity and anti-racism; and hands-on, student-centered learning as values. Students, faculty, and staff form a closely-knit community. The department also supports a co-curricular student screening program, a documentary grants program, and a Visiting Series in Film and Culture that hosts 12-16 filmmakers and scholars per year.

Colorado College supports scholarly and creative activity via a generous sabbatical program, travel to conferences, internal grant opportunities, and professional development, including options for instructional coaching and a mentoring program. Film and Media Studies also provides opportunities for teaching off campus; recent courses in Film and Media Studies have been offered in Berlin, Los Angeles, and New York, and the senior seminar for the major includes a trip to the Sundance Film Festival.

Colorado College is a nationally recognized, residential liberal arts and sciences college enrolling approximately 2,000 students from across the US and around the world. The College, located on a 99-acre campus in Colorado Springs, is distinguished by its immersive learning and pedagogy made possible by the Block Plan, in which professors teach, and students take, one course at a time. Each block is three and a half weeks long, allowing for unique teaching and learning strategies. Professors have a six-block teaching duty in the eight-block year, where one of the six blocks may be assigned to supervising senior and independent projects where the work is spread out across the year rather than completed in a conventional block.

Colorado College actively promotes a dynamic and inclusive environment in which students and employees of diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives can learn and work. Read more about the College’s commitment in our Institutional Equity & Belonging web page and the strategic plan “The Strategy for a More Just CC.”

Minimum Qualifications

An MFA or PhD in filmmaking/film production, visual design, cinematography, or a related field is required by the start of employment. In cases of extraordinary merit, experience may be able to substitute for the terminal degree.

Preferred Qualifications

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Application Instructions

• Application Deadline - last day to submit an application: 12-30-2026
• References will be contacted to upload a letter of recommendation when a candidate accepts a Zoom/Phone interview
• In your cover letter, please address your vision for life as a tenure-track professor, including ways you would contribute to our department and campus community and ways you hope the role will help you grow and develop in your teaching, your creative work, and your academic service.
  
  For any questions, contact the chair of the search committee, Dylan Nelson, at dnelson@coloradocollege.edu. You must meet the minimum qualifications to be considered for this position.

To help us stay connected with you throughout the hiring process, we encourage you to apply using a personal email address instead of a Colorado College email address.

Required Documents

Applicants should submit 1) a cover letter; 2) a curriculum vitae; 3) a teaching statement; 4) an artist statement; 5) one creative sample that you feel represents your best work, along with a brief description of your role on the project; and 6) undergraduate transcripts and 7) graduate transcripts (unofficial copies and screenshots are suitable for applications; the successful candidate will be required to send official transcripts).

As part of the application process, all candidates must provide contact information for at least three references who can submit a confidential letter of recommendation; however, only the references of short-listed candidates (those invited to a phone/Zoom interview) will be asked to submit a letter.

Optional Documents

Anticipated Hiring Salary Range:

See the Faculty Salary Structure: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/humanresources/employee-compensation/

Visa Sponsorship Information:

Eligible for H-1B sponsorship contingent on being eligible for exemption and/or exception of the $100,000.00 petition fee, 

if applicable and required by the US Government.

What We Offer:

As part of the total compensation for Staff and Faculty roles, we offer a competitive benefits package including:

-Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
-Retirement plan (403b) where CC contributes 10%, with a mandated 5% employee contribution
-Paid seasonal breaks and holidays (20 days per year)
-Tuition assistance benefits for employee and their eligible dependents
-Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Assistance Program
-Wellness benefits including free access to the fitness center, swimming pool, wellness center, and financial consultants

Benefits and Wellness Information:

Please refer to our Benefits Page

Accommodation Statement:

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Colorado College’s policies, if you have a disability and would like to request accommodations to support your application or interview process, please contact Human Resources at HR@coloradocollege.edu as early as possible. Positions may close on the listed deadline or, if posted as continuous, may close without prior notice.

E-Verify Information:

This organization participates in E-Verify. For more information, visit www.e-verify.gov

Leave Information:

Please refer to https://www.coloradocollege.edu/basics/welcome/leadership/policies/vacation-leave-and-accrual.html

EOE Statement:

Colorado College is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants in all aspects of the employment relationship—including (but not limited to) recruiting, hiring, promotions, compensation, benefits, and access to training—without regard to race, creed, color, caste, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity or gender expression, perceived gender, sexual preferences and sexual orientation), disability, marital status, veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.

In alignment with our commitment to reduce potential bias in hiring, applicants may redact any information that discloses their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance/graduation from educational institutions on resumes, certifications, transcripts, or other application materials. There will be no penalties for the omission of such information.