Working Title: Tenure Track Assistant Professor, Media Law - School of Media Arts and Design

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 Arts and Letters

Department: 100018 - School of Media Arts

Pay Rate: Commensurate with Experience

Specify Range or Amount:

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: 10/01/2025

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
Located in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. With a population of just over 53,000, Harrisonburg is one of the most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 20,000 undergraduate and 1,900 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:

The School of Media Arts and Design (SMAD) at James Madison University (JMU) invites applications for a Tenure Track Appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor, beginning in August 2026. This faculty member will focus on teaching media law and other critical-thinking-oriented courses.

SMAD’s distinctive undergraduate major prepares students to become well-rounded multimedia storytellers and offers four concentrations: Creative Advertising, Digital Video and Cinema, Interactive Design, and Journalism. SMAD also boasts one of the finest media production facilities in the country offering instructional workspaces for creating video, audio, graphics, animation, websites, and apps. The School has about 700 undergraduate majors and more than 20 faculty members, who represent a blend of professional and academic interests. For more information, go to http://www.jmu.edu/smad.

The School of Media Arts and Design is part of JMU’s College of Arts and Letters, which enrolls more than 3,100 undergraduate majors and about 150 graduate students across ten academic units. Home to several interdisciplinary centers and institutes, the College embraces the teacher-scholar model and encourage excellent applicants within our particular disciplines, as well as scholars and teachers eager to work across them.

Duties and Responsibilities:

SMAD seeks a student-focused colleague to join our Journalism Concentration and teach mass communication law to undergraduate students across all four of SMAD’s concentrations. This position also allows for teaching a combination of advanced journalism and critical-thinking-oriented courses, including media ethics. The teaching load is 3 courses each semester. Tenure-track faculty must have an active creative or scholarly agenda that may include juried production activity or peer-reviewed academic research. Tenure-track faculty also have service responsibilities within the department, school, and institution, including committee service, and student advising.

Qualifications:

An MFA, Ph.D., or other terminal degree is required. ABD applicants will be considered; degree must be completed prior to start date. The preferred candidate will have teaching as well as professional industry experience.

Additional Posting Information:

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.

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.