Online applications must be received before 11:59pm on:

November 1, 2025

If a date is not listed above, review the Applicant Instructions below for more details.

Available Title(s):

158-NN_FACULTY - Teaching Assistant Professor - Career

Business Title:

Assistant Professor - Career Track in Teaching Subtrack Composition and Digital Media

Employee Type:

Faculty (+) (Fixed Term)

9 Month - Summer

The Opportunity:

The School of Music at Washington State University (WSU) invites applications for an Assistant Professor, Career track, in the teaching subtrack, faculty position in Pullman, WA, with a specialty in Composition and Digital Media. This position is a fixed-term, nine-month, three-year appointment with possibility of renewal. We seek applicants with expertise in electronic music and media scoring (film, video games, or related areas) who can contribute to both the creative and academic missions of the School of Music. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will begin the appointment on August 16, 2026.

Job Duties
The successful candidate will teach courses in electronic music composition and media scoring (including film, and video games) and will also contribute to the undergraduate music theory and aural skills curriculum. Additional responsibilities include advising and mentoring student composers, supervising composition recitals and contributing to ongoing curriculum development. Other duties will be assigned by the Director of the School of Music based on the successful candidate’s strengths. The candidate is expected to increase the visibility of WSU’s music composition program, assist with the recruitment of new music majors, and build and maintain an active record of creative activity in composition and digital media at the regional, national and international levels. The workload percentages are as follows: 80% teaching, 10% research, and 10% service.

Annual Salary: $45,000 - $50,000 | In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate’s current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position.

Benefits: WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick and vacation leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation and optional supplemental retirement accounts. For a more detailed summary of benefits offered by WSU for Faculty please review the summary of benefits for WSU Faculty and Total Compensation.

Required Qualifications:

• Completed a terminal degree in composition or related areas by the time of appointment.

• Demonstrated record of or potential for maintaining an active creative profile in composition and digital media (e.g., commissions, performance and recordings of your works, or interdisciplinary collaborations)

• Proven or potential for successful teaching and instruction in electronic music, sound design and media scoring

• Ability to teach music theory and/or aural skills

• Demonstrated record of supporting, or potential to support, access and opportunity in research, teaching, and service in alignment with WSU’s land grant mission

Preferred Qualifications:

• Three or more years of teaching experience at the collegiate level

• Demonstrated experience teaching music theory and/or aural skills

• Experience in advising and mentoring graduate and undergraduate student composers; supervise recitals, theses, and creative projects

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

About Pullman Campus -

Washington State University is a land grant, multiple-campus Research 1 institution.  This position will serve on the Pullman campus, which has an enrollment of around 20,000 students and is located in Southeastern Washington on the homelands of the Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) Tribe and Palus people. Located 80 miles south of metropolitan Spokane, Pullman is also a quick drive away from the scenic Idaho panhandle and Moscow Mountain. The rolling hills of the Palouse offer a wide range of activities and a true four-season climate. The area provides ample opportunity to enjoy the cultural and academic hub of both Washington State University and the University of Idaho, in the neighboring town of Moscow, Idaho. For more information about the region, please see https://pullmanchamber.com.

About College of Arts and Sciences -

Encompassing more than 19 departments, schools, and programs, and 19 centers, institutes, museums, and research stations across five campuses statewide, the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) is the heart of WSU. Together over 700 CAS faculty and staff deliver more than 50% of WSU’s total undergraduate and graduate instruction, including the vast majority of WSU’s core curriculum. We drive disciplinary and transdisciplinary research, scholarship, and creative activities across the arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences and mathematics. The College of Arts & Sciences seeks to lead a reimagining of WSU’s land-grant mission for the 21st century, expanding the boundaries of creativity and discovery while simultaneously recognizing more completely our obligations to the State and the communities we serve.  For more about the College of Arts & Sciences at WSU, please see https://cas.wsu.edu.

About the School of Music -

The School of Music, based on the WSU Pullman campus, has 30 full-time music faculty and 8 staff members. The School is housed in the Kimbrough Music Building, which includes a professional-quality digital recording studio with a full-time audio engineer. For more information about the WSU School of Music, please visit music.wsu.edu.

WSU acknowledges that its locations statewide are on the homelands of Native American peoples, who have lived in this region and have been caretakers of the land from time immemorial. The Morrill Act of 1862 established our land-grant institution by providing public and federal lands that are traced back to the disposition of Indigenous lands, often taken by coercive and violent acts, and the disregard of treaties. For that, we extend our deepest apologies. We owe our deepest gratitude to the Native peoples of this region and maintain our commitment towards reconciliation. And as a land-grant institution, WSU is deeply committed to the land-grant mission, its Memorandums of Understanding with Native tribes in the region, and a tradition of service to society. To read the full WSU land acknowledgement, please see https://wsu.edu/about/wsu-land-acknowledgement/.

Application Instructions: Applicants must upload the following required documents to their online application. Application materials should clearly communicate how the applicant meets all required qualifications and additional requirements.  

• A cover letter addressing qualifications for this position as well as a response to the following prompt: As a land-grant university, we have a commitment to ensure access and opportunity in all aspects of our work. The successful candidate for this faculty position will have the experiences, knowledge, and skills to build their research/scholarship/creative practice, pedagogy, curriculum, and service in ways that reflect and enhance this commitment. Using the job announcement for this position, please list and explain up to three areas of responsibility you see as related to fulfilling this mission.

• Curriculum vitae

• Teaching statement that describes your teaching experience and philosophy, which may incorporate experience from formal or informal teaching and mentoring opportunities.

• Research/Scholarship/Creative Activity statement that outlines your scholarly work and includes your future plans

• Names, addresses, and contact information of at least three references who can address your history of and potential for excellence in teaching, and service (letters will be requested at a later time).

• Links to three representative works (e.g., scores, recordings, or media)

 

Inquiries should be directed to Dr. David Turnbull, Committee Chair, turnbull@mail.wsu.edu

Posting Close Date: Applicants must submit their completed application by Sunday, November 2, 2025, Date at 11:59 p.m.

External candidates, upload all documents in the “Application Document” section of your application.
Current WSU Employees (internal candidates), before starting your Workday application, please use these instructions to update your education and experience in your worker profile in Workday. Internal candidates, upload all documents in the “Resume/Cover Letter” section of your application.

Documents may be submitted as one file or separate files. Applicants are encouraged to upload as a PDF, if possible.

Professional reference contact information will be requested later in the recruitment process through Workday.

Background Check: This position has been designated by the department to require a background check because it requires access to children or vulnerable adults as defined by RCW 74.34, engages in law enforcement, requires security clearance, interacts with WSU students in a counseling or advising capacity, has access to personal identifying and/or financial information, unsupervised access to university buildings/property, or other business-related need. A background check will not be completed until an initial determination of qualification for employment has been made.

Full time

Washington State University encourages all qualified candidates to apply, including members of the military and veterans, and persons with disabilities.

WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

WSU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact Human Resource Services: 509-335-4521 (v), Washington State TDD Relay Service: Voice Callers: 1-800-833-6384; TDD Callers: 1-800-833-6388, 509-335-1259(f), or hrs@wsu.edu.

Notice of Non-Discrimination

In matters of admission, employment, housing or services, or in the educational programs or activities it operates, WSU does not discriminate or permit discrimination by any member of its community against any individual on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, physical disability, mental disability, sensory disability, use of a trained service animal, age, religion, creed, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, honorably discharged veteran, member of the military, or immigration or citizenship status except as authorized by federal or state law, regulation, or government contract.

Inquiries about the application of federal and state laws and regulations (including inquiries regarding the application of Title IX, ADA/Section 504, and implementing regulations), as well as reports and complaints of discrimination and harassment, can be made verbally or in writing to WSU’s Compliance and Civil Rights, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, or both.

More information, resources, and contact information are available here: https://ccr.wsu.edu/notice-of-nondiscrimination/