Position Title
Associate Professor of Costume Design
Position Number
030252
School/Department Information
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts provides gifted emerging artists with the experience, knowledge, and skills needed to excel in their disciplines and in their lives, and it serves and enriches the cultural and economic prosperity of the people of North Carolina and the nation. UNCSA is the state's unique professional school for the performing, visual, and moving image arts, training students at the high school, undergraduate, and master's levels for professional careers in the arts.
Located in Winston Salem, UNCSA is a conservatory-style school and one of the 17 constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina system. The university community consists of more than 1,200 students ranging from middle school to graduate school. The school of Design & Production is one of the five collegiate level training programs (along with Drama, Dance, Music and Film). The school has 367 students, 32 full time faculty and 12 adjuncts. The Costume Design Program has 2 full-time Costume Design faculty, 2 full-time Costume Technology faculty, Adjunct faculty (as necessary), 39-42 Graduate and Undergraduate students (combined). The Costume Design program has 2 full-time Costume Design faculty, 2 full-time Costume Technology faculty, Adjunct faculty (as necessary), 39-42 Graduate and Undergraduate students (combined)
Position Summary
UNCSA School of Design and Production seeks an Associate Professor of Costume Design who will also serve as Director of Costume Design beginning in August 2026.
Description of Responsibilities and Duties
- Full-time faculty member who is highly skilled and motivated
- Teaches in both BFA and MFA curriculum tracks
- Partners closely with the Director of Costume Technology and other members of the costume faculty team, as well as effectively cooperating across the broader campus community
- Maintains and updates costume area practices in collaboration with all costume faculty
- Engages in costume project planning with relevant faculty members throughout the creative process
- Establishes and maintains efficiency and quality standards within the costume production process - mentoring and advising design teams and student team leaders, supervising fittings, and ensuring excellence throughout the timely completion of all productions
- Determines student design assignments with fellow costume faculty members
- Oversees distribution of show production budgets and mentors student designers in the purchasing process
- Collaborates with all costume faculty members on student learning outcomes and curriculum as they intersect across all costume-related student development
- In addition to teaching courses in Costume Design, will collaborate with faculty team to deliver courses in Costume Rendering (digital and traditional), Costume Production, Costume History, Costume Crafts, etc.
- Maximizes student learning and portfolio building through costume design coursework and its application to realized productions and career goals
- Assists in the admissions process by interviewing and selecting students for admission to the costume programs
- Serves as an Arts Advisor to both Undergraduate and Graduate students
- Continues professional activity within the entertainment industry
- Participates in shared governance of the institutional community through service to the Costume programs, the School of Design and Production, and the University
- Attends faculty and production meetings and contributes through committee service
- Additional duties as assigned by the Dean of Design and Production
Required Qualifications
- Candidates are required to have a Bachelor Degree
- Minimum of five years' experience in the entertainment industry
- Evidence of work that incorporates and supports diverse storytelling and viewpoints
- Evidence of potential for a high quality of teaching
- Evidence of responsible stewardship of resources
- Eligible for the rank of Associate Professor
Preferred Qualifications
- Master of Fine Arts Degree, or other terminal degree
- United Scenic Artists member or comparable union membership
- Experience in both the academic classroom and in the professional marketplace
- Mentoring and supporting the development of early career costume designers
- Professional experience in more than one area of the entertainment industry including, but not limited to: professional or regional theatre, opera, film, television, tours, cruise ships, themed entertainment, etc.
- Evidence of success in promoting an environment that advances pluralism, curiosity, viewpoint diversity, open intellectual discourse, and the well-being of all in context of cultural and ideological difference
Tenure Information
UNCSA utilizes a multi-year contract system in lieu of tenure.
Instructions to Candidates
Application Materials:
- Cover Letter
- CV
- Teaching Philosophy
- Digital Portfolio or Professional Website link
- Letters of Reference (upon request)
Review of applications will begin December 1 and continue until filled.An EHRA Faculty application is required in order to be considered for a faculty position. Please note, EHRA applications do not have an employment entry section. Instead, a resume/CV will be required to be uploaded by the applicant, along with any other documents the Department or assigned Search Committee deem relevant for the review process. Applications will be treated confidentially until the final stages of the search process.
UNCSA follows the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) guidelines for faculty credentialing. The successful candidate will be required to submit a curriculum vitae, official transcripts of earned degrees, and/or substantiating documentation of experiential qualifications as a condition of employment.
Pursuant to UNCSA policy, as a condition of employment the University must obtain a criminal background report and determine that the nature and seriousness of any criminal offenses do not render employment with the University inappropriate.
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination, harassment or retaliation based on race, religion, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age (40 or older), political affiliation, National Guard or veteran status, genetic information, or disability.
