"Assistant or Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Internship Coordinator"

Position Summary

The School of Art and Design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Northern Colorado is seeking a full-time Tenure Track Assistant or Associate Professor with expertise in Graphic Design with a focus on career connections and preparation. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to expanding traditional design practices and contributing to a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future in art and design. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and growing team dedicated to providing an innovative, student-centered curriculum. This position may be filled by either an Assistant or Associate tenure-track faculty member, to be determined at the point of offer after consideration of applicable experience and credentials. Academic rank and salary will depend upon the selected applicant's current rank and experience. The compensation range for this position is $58,449 - $75,501.

Job Duties

This position is responsible for preparing students for careers in contemporary Graphic Design and design-related fields. An ideal candidate has a proven record of accomplishment in graphic design/visual communication and is flexible and able to teach a variety of design topics in a variety of instructional modalities including but not limited to design thinking, design systems, typography for print and web, identity design, UX and UI design, interactive web and mobile media, and motion graphics.

Qualifications and Experience

Salary Range for Assistant: $58,449-$61,171

Minimum Qualifications for Assistant:

• MFA or terminal degree in Graphic Design or related area.
• One or more years of teaching experience at the undergraduate level GA/TA okay.
• Experience with the Graphic Design industry.
• Experience with traditional and emerging design theory with a demonstrated command of current design processes, media, and software.

Preferred Qualifications for Assistant:

• Evidence of creating relationships with relevant industry and professional organizations
• Successful documentation of placement of and support of Graphic Design interns in the field.
• Demonstrated ability to create and teach contemporary and inclusive culturally sensitive Graphic Design curriculum.
• A demonstrated creative research practice that is equity-minded and engages new schools of thought and innovative contexts of design thinking and practice.

Salary range for Associate: $71,405-$75,501

Minimum Qualifications for Associate:

• MFA or terminal degree in Graphic Design or related area.
• Four or more years of teaching experience at the undergraduate level.
• Having a current rank of Associate professor of Assistant with ability to qualify for Associate.
• In-depth experience with traditional and emerging design theory with a demonstrated command of current design processes, media, and software.
• Experience of Leadership with Graphic Design industry.

Preferred Qualifications for Associate:

• Evidence of creating relationships with relevant industry and professional organizations.
• Successful documentation of placement of and support of Graphic Design interns in the field.
• Demonstrated ability to create and teach contemporary and inclusive culturally sensitive Graphic Design curriculum.
• A demonstrated creative research practice that is equity-minded and engages new schools of thought and innovative contexts of design thinking and practice.

Application Materials

• A letter of application addressing how your education and professional experiences qualify you for the position.
• Curriculum vitae
• Teaching philosophy
• Portfolio of up to 10 images of applicant's creative work and 10 images of student work in pdf format including url links as appropriate.
• 3 names of references with titles and contact information.

Benefits

Benefits available include health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance, as well as a selection of several defined contribution retirement plans for all full-time positions. Employees at UNC receive sick leave, and other leave options may be available based on position. Full-time employees are eligible to receive tuition waiver benefits, as well as dependents and spouses of UNC Employees who are employed at 0.5 FTE or above are eligible for undergraduate dependent tuition grants of up to 50%. These tuition grants will cover in-state tuition charges. Further requirements may exist. Other benefits may be available based on position. For more details, visit UNC's Career Hub.

Compensation Range: 58,449.00 - 75,501.00 USD per year

Employment Classification: Faculty

Department: Academic Affairs Office

Target Hire Date: 8/17/2026

Candidates must have valid U.S. work authorization at the time of application; UNC cannot provide H-1B sponsorship at this time.

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 11:59pm (MT) on 01/05/2026.