Assistant Professor in Public Relations

Position Rank and Title

Assistant Professor, Tenure Track, Public Relations

School/Department Name

School of Journalism and Mass Communications

Compensation

Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $ 90,000 - $ 94,000.

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 17, 2027

Application Deadline

October 31st, 2026 (Applications accepted until filled or closed)

Position Description

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications at San José State University is pleased to announce a search for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Public Relations beginning in August 2027. We seek a colleague with practical and scholarly expertise in public relations and strategic communication, including areas such as public relations writing, media relations, digital and social media, research and analytics, crisis communication, campaign planning, emerging technologies, or related fields. The successful candidate will teach in both our on-campus and growing SJSU Online Public Relations degree programs, with courses potentially including Principles of Public Relations, Public Relations Writing, Social Media Strategies, Public Relations Research, Strategic Communication Planning, and Campaigns.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications (JMC) offers leading programs in advertising, public relations, journalism, and mass communications—all rooted in Silicon Valley’s culture of innovation. As an Adobe Creative Campus, and with a new VR and Emerging Technologies Lab in development, JMC provides students and faculty with opportunities to explore possibilities in media, AI, and immersive storytelling. Our award‑winning student media and the student‑run DBH Agency highlight our hands‑on, collaborative approach, while faculty actively lead research and practice in emerging technologies.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications and San José State University value institutional excellence and are committed to advancing equity through research, teaching, and service. We enroll more than 40,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved; approximately 45% of our undergraduate students are first‑generation college students and 38% are Pell Grant recipients. In addition, we are both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). SJSU aspires to create holistic learning environments that facilitate both individual and collective transformation. We seek teacher‑scholars who cultivate inclusive, empowering spaces for mutual learning, skill‑building, and knowledge exchange for all students. Our commitment to lifelong learning supports meaningful connections among faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the broader communities we serve.

We invite all applicants to include a Statement of Institutional Excellence (or incorporate it into your cover letter) to share how your lived and professional experiences will contribute to the SJSU community—particularly in relation to student success. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Institutional Excellence Statement Guidelines.

Required Qualifications

• Masters degree (MFA, MA, MS) in Public Relations, Strategic Communication, Mass Communication, Communication, or a closely related discipline by the start of the appointment. Candidates who are ABD may be considered, provided the degree is completed by the start of the appointment.
• 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

• PhD in Public Relations, Strategic Communication, Mass Communication, Communication, or a closely related discipline by the start of the appointment. Candidates who are ABD may be considered, provided the doctoral degree is completed by the start of the appointment.
• Experience teaching public relations courses in online (synchronous/asynchronous