Assistant Professor of Special Education

Position Rank and Title:

Assistant Professor of Special Education

School/Department Name:

Lurie College of Education / Department of Special Education

Compensation:

Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $90,000 - $100,000

Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector. See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU’s excellent benefits package.

Target Start Date:

August 18, 2025

Application Deadline:

December 15, 2024 (Applications accepted until filled or closed)

Position Description

The Department of Special Education at San José State University is pleased to announce a search for an Assistant Professor of Special Education beginning in August 2025. We seek candidates who possess strong potential for scholarly research, writing, and teaching in the Master of Arts (MA) in Special Education and Education Specialist Credential programs across undergraduate, credential, and MA degree pathways. Candidates with expertise in working with students with Mild to Moderate disabilities, including those who are multilingual and those from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds are especially welcome to apply.

The Department of Special Education within the Lurie College of Education at SJSU takes pride in preparing transformative special educators who possess the knowledge and skills to meet the intersectional identities of all learners and work as change agents to create equitable and inclusive environments in schools. The Department offers a Master’s in Special Education program and three Education Specialist credential programs accredited by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The department prepares candidates to work in over 40 school districts across the diverse communities of the greater San Jose area, including satellite programs in the Tri-Valley and Santa Cruz counties. The department has developed strong collaborative relationships with many Local Education Agencies and operates a Teacher Residency Program with four local districts. In addition, the department partners with the Liberal Studies, Child and Adolescent Development, and Math departments to run five-year blended BA to MA programs that include the Education Specialist credential. Applicants can learn more about the Department of Special Education by previewing the program website at https://www.sjsu.edu/specialed/

The Department of Special Education, Lurie College of Education, and San José State University value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Our excellence in research, teaching, and service can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. SJSU enrolls more than 36,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved, and around 45% are first-generation and 38% are Pell-recipients. SJSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander (AANAPISI) Serving Institution. The university’s commitment to social justice extends from its vibrant, inclusive campus to an international network of over 275,000 alumni. As such, San José State is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the community can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.

Successful candidates will demonstrate evidence of a commitment to equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and/or service. We ask that all applicants include a Diversity Statement with their application package. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Diversity Statement Guidelines, along with information about how these statements will be evaluated.

Required Qualifications

Applicants for the Assistant Professor in Special Education position must meet the following required qualifications:

• PhD or EdD in Special Education or related field
• Demonstrated potential for research and scholarly writing
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Priority will be given to candidates who possess one or more of the following:

• Minimum of three years of public school teaching experience with students with mild to moderate disabilities.
• Expertise in working with multilingual learners and ability to support students in earning bilingual authorization.
• Expertise in evidence-based literacy instruction, including foundational skills and related reading/language learning disabilities, including dyslexia.
• Expertise in evidence-based math instruction and related math disabilities including dyscalculia.
• Ability and interest in teaching and/or advising dissertations for doctoral students in Lurie College’s EdD program.
• Strong potential for research and scholarly work in the field of special education as evidenced by one or more of the following: publications in professional journals, grant proposals, or conference presentations in the field of special education.

Key Responsibilities

• The candidate will teach a range of courses in the Department of Special Education, which may include any combination of Master’s, credential, and/or undergraduate students.
• The candidate will maintain an active scholarly agenda as necessary for tenure and promotion.
• The candidate will provide service to the Department of Special Education through a variety of tasks as deemed necessary for the department’s operation, such as advising students, curriculum development, assessment and accreditation tasks, and recruitment activities.
• The candidate will participate in shared governance, usually in department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
• Faculty shall organize all their classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• The candidate must demonstrate awareness and experience in understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, abilities, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, economic background, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and academic preparation – through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies, and advisement.

Application Procedure

Click Apply Now to complete the SJSU Online Employment Application and attach the following documents:

• letter of interest
• curriculum vitae
• diversity statement
• statement of teaching interests/philosophy
• research agenda
• Three references with contact information (Letters of recommendation may be requested at a later date.)

Inquiries may be directed to the Department Chair: Dr. Lisa Simpson, lisa.simpson@sjsu.edu