"Associate Professor or Professor of Criminal Justice & Graduate Director of the Master's in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) Degree Program"

About Us

For more than 60 years, Kennesaw State University has been known for its entrepreneurial spirit and sense of community. A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State is located just north of Atlanta and combines a suburban setting on two metro-Atlanta campuses in Kennesaw and Marietta. As one of Georgia's largest universities, Kennesaw State offers undergraduate and graduate degrees to over 50,000 students. Our high-impact research and Division I athletics also draw students from throughout the region and across the globe. A member of the University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2) committed to becoming a world-class academic institution positioned to broaden its academic and research missions and expand its scope on a local, regional, and national level.

Our university's vibrant culture, career opportunities, rich benefits, and values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity, and accountability make us an employer of choice. As part of the University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State exemplifies the power and promise of a student-centered, research-driven university. In addition, Kennesaw State supports the University of Georgia's core values of accountability, excellence, integrity, and respect. We are searching for talented people to join Kennesaw State University in our vision. Kennesaw State is launching a new strategic plan in 2024-2025. For more information, visit https://www.kennesaw.edu/.

Location

Our Kennesaw campus is located at 1000 Chastain Road NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144. Our Marietta campus is located at 1100 South Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060.

Department Information

We are a collective of interdisciplinary and community-engaged scholars committed to investigating and addressing social problems, which are broadly defined as conditions or behaviors that have a negative impact on society. We examine and understand these problems using scientific approaches, including applied, theoretical, and evaluation research. Faculty expertise broadly includes sociological, criminological, and criminal justice research areas related to social harms, social organization and disorganization, policing, courts, and correctional systems, life course sociology and criminology, causes and correlates of crime and deviance, responses to crime, laws, policies, and practices, and myriad forms of inequality. Finally, SCJ faculty are scholars and teachers committed to excellence in teaching and mentorship to ensure our graduates are ready for life and work after college. Faculty in the department engage in multiple forms of experiential education and high-impact practices to synthesize their teaching, research, and service roles.

With more than 400 full-time faculty and 8,100 degree-seeking students, the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities & Social Sciences is dedicated to pioneering workforce readiness in the humanities and social sciences. By staying true to our Liberal Arts values and integrating practical knowledge and experiential learning into our curriculum, we empower our students to become responsible citizens ready for the demands of the modern workplace. The home of three schools and eight departments, the College offers more than 80 graduate and undergraduate programs of study in both traditional and interdisciplinary fields. These programs enable students to develop leadership, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, as well as a strong sense of civic engagement.

The College is committed to the success of our students, faculty, staff and communities. We seek candidates whose experience has prepared them to fulfill that commitment and engage our students, partners, and stakeholders effectively.

Job Summary

Kennesaw State University is now accepting applications for a full-time, tenured faculty position as Associate Professor or Professor of Criminal Justice and Graduate Director of the Master's in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) degree program in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. This is a nine-month contracted position with summer stipend for administrative work available, contingent on funding. This position is for work to be performed in the state of Georgia.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities for this position include:

• Providing strategic leadership of the MSCJ program and collaborating with faculty on curriculum, student success initiatives, and program assessment
• Leading activities related to marketing, recruitment, admissions, and retention of graduate students
• Overseeing graduate student academic advisement and the appointment, assignment, and supervision of graduate assistants
• Serving as a liaison to the Graduate College and representing the MSCJ program on college and university-level committees
• Teaching courses in our undergraduate and graduate criminal justice degree programs in a variety of modalities, including face-to-face, hybrid, and online.
• Maintaining an active scholarship and research agenda (Research intensive workload may be negotiated)
• Engaging in service to the department, college, university, and/or professional community

Teaching assignments will be based on earned degrees and SACSCOC Faculty Credentials Guidelines.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D., or the foreign equivalent in Criminal Justice, Criminology, or a closely related discipline is required at the time of hire.
• Strong record of teaching, research, and service commensurate with an appointment at rank of Associate Professor or Professor with tenure.
• Demonstrated experience teaching graduate-level courses.

Preferred Qualifications

• Administrative experience serving as a director or coordinator of an academic program or unit Experience with supervision and mentorship of graduate students
• Involvement in activities related to program growth, recruitment, and retention
• Experience in teaching core criminal justice courses including: policing, corrections, legal systems, research methods, and/or statistical analyses
• Experience with the administration of multiple course modalities including online, hybrid, and face-to-face
• Involvement in program and student learning assessment and/or curriculum development
• An active research agenda with the potential for external funding and collaborative research

Required Documents to Attach

1. CV
2. Cover Letter (please include statement of philosophy on graduate program leadership and evidence of graduate teaching effectiveness)
3. Unofficial Transcripts (Official Transcripts and Official International Course-by-Course Evaluations Due Upon Hire)
4. Names, phone numbers, and email addresses of at least 3 references

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Apply Before Date

Review of applications will begin immediately. For full consideration, please apply by January 4, 2026. (The application date has been extended.)

Contact Information

For questions about this faculty opening, please contact Heidi Scherer, hscherer@kennesaw.edu.

For technical support or assistance completing a job application, please contact the Shared Services Center at (877) 251-2644 or support@usg.edu.

For questions about a specific job posting at Kennesaw State University, please contact the search chair listed under the contact information section on each posting. For general questions about faculty jobs please email facultyjobs@kennesaw.edu.