Assistant Professor - Art & Design (Graphic Design)

Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) is a diverse and student-centered university dedicated to academic excellence, access, and service for the public good. Southern provides a supportive and welcoming environment for all members of its community through a campus-wide commitment to social justice. SCSU is the only R2 institution in the State of Connecticut and a top producer of Fulbright U.S. Scholars. Founded as a teacher’s college in 1893, Southern has evolved over the past century into a comprehensive public university of approximately 9,000 students, offering graduate and undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and professional disciplines. We seek to instill in all students the value of discovery with the liberal arts and sciences serving as a foundation for professional development and life-long learning. The University is located in New Haven, Connecticut, a city rich and vibrant with arts and culture, and home to many universities and with easy access to New York City and Boston.

The Department of Art & Design at SCSU invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position in Graphic Design beginning Fall 2026, within the most comprehensive Art & Design department in the Connecticut State University (CSU) System, and the only CSU program housed at an R2 institution.

We are seeking a dynamic, well-rounded, student-focused, career-minded designer and educator to join our team who understands current and emerging trends in design practice and pedagogy.

Brief Description of Duties/Responsibilities

The Department of Art & Design seeks to fill a full-time, tenure track, 10-month position in Graphic Design to teach, and support programmatic functions, to begin August 2026. The Graphic Design area, within the Art & Design Department, offers a BS in Graphic Design, MS in UI/UX Design, and a Minor in Graphic Design. The Graphic Design area also supports the BA in Art & Design, BS in Art & Design (additional concentrations), the General Education program, interdisciplinary studies degrees, and minors in Public Relations, Arts Administration and Cultural Advocacy, and the Digital Humanities through coursework.

The successful candidate will be responsible for teaching content that may include typography, motion, interactive and web design, information design, experiential design, packaging, illustration, animation, and other related fields at the undergraduate level, with opportunity to teach at the graduate levels. In addition to teaching responsibilities, faculty are required to engage in scholarship/creative activity, service to the department and University, professional participation, and student advising. While the nominal teaching load is 12-credits per semester, there is the opportunity for reassigned time.

The role of all Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) employees is to support a robust in-person learning environment for its students. In furtherance of this goal, while some classes may be remote or hybrid in accordance with student needs, faculty are generally required to be available for on-campus teaching. This means that while faculty may be scheduled to teach fully remote classes, there is no guarantee of fully remote work.

Required Qualifications

• MFA (conferred prior to start date) in Graphic Design, or a closely related field
• Relevant teaching experience at the undergraduate and/or graduate level in design
• Demonstrated experience and articulated interest in teaching introductory-level design coursework
• Evidence of productive scholarly activity and/or professional design practice

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to enhance and expand the curriculum by including more areas of graphic design, such as illustration, animation, AI integration (into design practice), information design/infographics, or other types of visual communication.
• Demonstrated experience and articulated interest in working with underrepresented, diverse student populations.
• Interest in working in an open-access program (no portfolio requirement) and with students who may have limited prior experience with – and access to – technology.
• Engagement with professional organizations, industry partnerships, or community-based projects.