Description
The Department of Advertising and Public Relations in the College of Communication & Information Sciences at the University of Alabama invites applications for a nine-month Renewable Contract Instructor in Advertising or Public Relations to begin in August 2026.
The primary focus of this position is undergraduate teaching. As part of one of the nation’s top five Advertising and Public Relations programs, you’ll join a community of leading scholars and seasoned industry practitioners, collaborate with exceptional students, and help shape the next generation of communication professionals.
The ideal candidate will possess professional experience in advertising or public relations. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the ability to teach across both disciplines or in interdisciplinary contexts. Additional consideration will be afforded to candidates with expertise in integrated marketing communications (IMC).
Depending on the candidate's experience and background, assigned classes could include, but are not limited to, the following:
Advertising and/or Public Relations Campaigns
Advertising & Public Relations Management
Channel Planning
Public Relations Writing
Branding Principles and Practice
Advanced Digital Marketing
Introduction to Audience Analysis
Introduction to Channels & Messaging
Introduction to Consumer & Media Research
The ability to work with student groups, such as the National Student Advertising Competition Team or the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), is also desired.
Applicants must demonstrate the ability to be an active and engaged member of a highly collaborative faculty team. The successful hire will teach four undergraduate courses each fall and spring semester, with the ability to teach master's and Ph.D. courses, dependent on academic qualifications.
About the Department:
The Department of Advertising & Public Relations houses a growing community of faculty, staff, and students with various research and professional interests. The department faculty engage in a variety of successful cross-campus collaborations and leadership roles, including directorships in multiple communication-oriented labs and the Institute for Communication & Information Research within the college’s Office for Research, Scholarship, & Creative Activity.
The advertising and public relations undergraduate programs are ACEJMC-accredited. Advertising majors have four options: a general major or a concentration in brand management, advertising creative, or integrated channel planning. Public Relations majors have the option of a general or digital communication concentration. The graduate program awards a Master of Arts in advertising and public relations. The two-year residential program offers an individualized track and more specialized advertising, creative, and media strategy concentrations. The graduate program also provides distance-learning concentrations in digital communication and marketing communication management.
The Department is home to the award-winning Minerva creative concentration in advertising and the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. It has been listed by PRWeek magazine as one of the top five programs in the country and APR teams have been recognized in national student competitions including the American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition, the PRSSA Bateman Case Study Competition, and the Washington Media Scholars Foundation Case Competition. Students gain extensive practical experience before graduation through multiple outlets, including work with the student-run Capstone Agency and industry clients such as NASCAR, the Country Music Association, McLaren Automotive, Twitch, and Tervis.
About the College:
The College of Communication & Information Sciences has four academic units, approximately 110 full-time faculty members, and serves approximately 3,500 students across bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, including approximately 95 students in the college-wide Ph.D. program. The college’s Institute for Communication & Information Research (ICIR) is a premier research institute dedicated to addressing societal and cultural issues related to communication and information research. The ICIR collaborates with businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, foundations, and other entities to produce high-impact research that informs and improves our evolving communication and information landscape. The College is also home to the Public Opinion Lab, equipped with the Sprinklr data warehouse and custom data collection and management resources; a biometrics lab outfitted with state-of-the-art iMotions software and associated hardware; and the near-term development of an interactive VR/theater lab, among others. The college is also home to the Holle Center for Communication Arts, whose mission is guided by a commitment to advance narrative justice through innovative and arts-informed research, community engagement, and creative co-operation. The college also maintains the 40,000 square-foot Digital Media Center, which is home to Alabama Public Radio and WVUA 23, a full-power commercial television station serving a top-50 television market.
About the University:
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.
In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.
UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.
For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.
UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.
Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.
The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.
Requirements
Min Qualifications:
A master’s degree in an appropriate field or an undergraduate degree with a significant record of relevant experience.
Professional experience in advertising and/or public relations, with experience in one or more of these areas: strategy, research, account management, account planning, brand planning, account leadership, or agency leadership.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience teaching college-level classes, or experience in leading employee training or workshops, is desired.
Experience with developing or managing IMC campaigns or client relationships is preferred.
Experience in an agency environment, either external or in-house, is preferred.
Experience working with AI to meet client needs and assist in agency workflows is desired.
Instructions and Required Materials:
To apply, provide the following:
1. Cover letter highlighting your overall match for the position including mention of relevant clients and industries you have experience in.
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Names and contact information for three references
EEO/Background Checks:
Background Investigation Statement: Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.
Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. More information is available in the EEOC’s Know Your Rights: Workplace (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf) discrimination is illegal poster.
