Job Details
Assistant Professor, Department of Music (R0008839)
Location: Winston Salem, NC
Open Date: Sep 18, 2026
Description:
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY. The Department of Music invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position as Assistant Professor of Music effective July 1, 2027.
Position Summary: This individual will be expected to teach undergraduate courses in music history and culture, including existing courses in American, global, or popular music according to expertise, and to develop new courses addressing Black musical thought, history, and practice. The successful candidate will also contribute to the University's First Year Seminar program, engage in scholarly activities, and participate in departmental, College, and University service. The successful candidate will have opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary teaching and scholarship across the University, including with the Program in African American and African Studies. Performance instruction may be included depending on the candidate's strengths but is not required.
About Wake Forest University: Founded in 1834, Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational institution dedicated to academic excellence in liberal arts, graduate, and professional education. With more than 5,400 undergraduates and 3,800 graduate and professional students, Wake Forest is a collegiate university offering a vibrant, intellectual community with a rich cultural life, an impressive array of facilities, and a strong athletics program competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Since its founding, the University has adopted the motto Pro Humanitate, which is exemplified by a deep institutional commitment to public service and engagement with the world. For more information, visit: about.wfu.edu.
Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, a beautiful, mid-sized city centrally in the Piedmont-Triad region of North Carolina. To learn more about Winston-Salem, visit: www.visitwinstonsalem.com.
Qualifications:
An earned Ph.D. in musicology, ethnomusicology, or a related field is required during the first year of appointment to the position; ABD candidates are invited to apply. Qualified applicants will demonstrate their ability to teach courses in music history and culture with particular strength in Black American music, who can contribute to African and/or African diaspora studies. The ideal candidate would initiate and sustain original research and scholarship in these or related areas of expertise and contribute to an interdisciplinary academic environment that supports student learning and intellectual growth. We warmly welcome candidates whose work engages diverse theoretical, methodological, and topical approaches and complements the Department of Music's existing strengths in musicology, ethnomusicology, and global and popular music studies.
Application Instructions:
Review of applications will begin immediately. The following materials should be submitted: letter of application, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references. Applications that include all required information and are submitted on or before October 16 will be given full consideration. To apply, visit: hr.wfu.edu/careers. Inquiries should be directed to Prof. Elizabeth Clendinning, Chair of the Search Committee, at clendiea@wfu.edu or to Wake Forest University Human Resources at askhr@wfu.edu. Wake Forest University conducts background investigations for all final faculty candidates being considered for employment.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
Equal Opportunity Statement
The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates to apply without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability and military or veteran status.
Accommodations for Applicants
If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact AskHR@wfu.edu or (336) 758-4700.
Organization
Wake Forest University, formed in 1834, has experienced decades of growth and innovation. WFU is a distinctive university that combines a liberal arts core with graduate and professional schools and innovative research programs. The University embraces the teacher-scholar ideal, which prizes the personal interaction between students and faculty. It is a place where exceptional teaching, fundamental research and discovery, and the engagement of faculty and students in the classroom and the laboratory are paramount.
Wake Forest University is a community that seeks the enlightenment and freedom which come through diligent study and learning. Its higher goal, however, is to give life to the University motto "Pro Humanitate," as members translate a passion for knowledge into compassionate service. The community shares a tradition that embraces freedom and integrity and acknowledges the worth of the individual. The heritage, established by the school's founders and nurtured by succeeding generations, promotes a democratic spirit arising from open-mindedness and discourse. Wake Forest fosters compassion and caring for others. Its collective strength and character are derived from the values and distinctive experiences of each individual; therefore, it affirms the richness of human intellect and culture and its contribution to knowledge, faith, reason, and dialogue. Furthermore, it strives toward a society in which good will, respect, and equality prevail. To that end, Wake Forest University rejects hatred and bigotry in any form and promotes justice, honor, and mutual trust.
The University is comprised of: the undergraduate college, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Divinity, School of Law, and School of Medicine (located on the Bowman Gray campus with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center) and today enrolls about 4,846 undergraduates and 2,823 students in graduate programs at its principal location, the Reynolda campus. Students at Wake Forest University enjoy a great deal of access to and interaction with world-class faculty both in and out of the classroom setting with a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Wake Forest employs approximately 2,772 full and part-time faculty and staff.
Wake Forest is a collegiate university offering a vibrant, intellectual community with a rich cultural life, an impressive array of facilities, and a strong athletics program competing in the fifteen-team Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Since its founding, the university has adopted the motto "pro humanitate," which is exemplified by a deep institutional commitment to public service and engagement with the world. Wake Forest has a strong commitment to holistic, eight-dimensional well-being for students, faculty and staff as evidenced in the Thrive initiative.
Winston-Salem, NC
Wake Forest is located in Winston-Salem, NC, a beautiful, mid-sized city centrally located in the Piedmont-Triad region of North Carolina. Winston-Salem is a family-friendly city with high quality schools, numerous outdoor recreational activities and events, and is known for its vibrant and thriving arts scene.
Winston-Salem residents enjoy close proximity to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains (1.5 hours) and Atlantic beaches (4 hours), a moderate climate with four distinct seasons, a very reasonable cost of living, and an eclectic variety of restaurants, wine bars, and breweries for dining with friends and family. Winston-Salem offers many of the amenities of a large city but with the sense of community and quality of life of a smaller town (www.visitwinstonsalem.com).

