Adjunct Instructor of Urban Planning

Engineering Management Student Association (EMSA); Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 4,003,000 - 5,357,000; Part time

Job summary

University of Southern California in Los Angeles seeks an adjunct instructor to teach a graduate-level course in urban economics with international applications. You will deliver content, engage students, and evaluate performance in a seminar-focused setting.

The role requires a master’s degree or doctorate in a relevant field and proven teaching effectiveness, with preference for prior teaching experience and strong evaluations. The position is offered at an hourly rate within the stated range.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or doctorate in urban planning, public policy, public administration, urban economics, urban design, or related field.
• Preference for candidates with prior teaching experience and strong teaching evaluations.

Responsibilities

• Deliver course content for graduate-level Urban Economics with International Applications (PPD 523).
• Schedule office hours and be accessible to students.
• Grade assignments and exams and provide a syllabus outlining course goals and requirements under the Department Chair.

Skills

Teaching experience

Urban economics

Education

Master’s degree or PhD in relevant field

Job description

Faculty

Educators, mentors, and agents of change. As USC faculty, we are committed to advancing knowledge, inspiring students, and elevating research that fosters discovery and drives societal impact – all in service of our mission.

Adjunct Instructor of Urban Planning

Los Angeles, CA

Job ID REQ20181810

Category Faculty

Helpful Information for Applicants

External Applicants Internal Applicants (Current USC Employees)

University of Southern California

Sol Price School of Public Policy

Adjunct Instructor of Urban Planning

Department of Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis

The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy is seeking a working professional with expertise and a primary professional position in urban planning, public policy, public administration, urban policy, urban economics, urban design, architecture, real estate, or a related field. The successful candidate should possess a master’s degree or doctorate in the relevant field. The candidate will be able to teach a graduate-level course in economics, with an emphasis on international applications. Preference will be given to candidates with prior teaching experience and excellent teaching evaluations.

The candidate will teach PPD 523: Urban Economics with International Applications. This graduate-level course introduces students to key concepts in urban economics and their application to planning and urban development. Students examine externalities, market failure, land economics, agglomeration economies, and the role of transportation access and place-based amenities in shaping land values and development patterns. The course also explores fundamental economic concepts, including efficiency, equity, and cost-benefit analysis, and how these concepts can inform planning practice, policy, and urban development. Students apply these concepts through international and comparative examples, examining how institutions, markets, and broader societal and governance factors influence development patterns across different contexts.

The concepts, theories, and methods will be presented, interrogated, and discussed in class in a seminar format. Students will be encouraged to apply the ideas and techniques through various in-class activities and assignments focusing on specific places, urban development challenges, and comparative international cases.

Adjunct instructor responsibilities include delivery of course content, scheduling office hours and being accessible to students as appropriate, and grading. Each instructor is expected to provide students with a syllabus outlining the course goals, schedule and all requirements for the course under the direction of the Department Chair.

The hourly rate range for this position is $29.06/hr. - $38.89/hr. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Ranked among the foremost schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The school is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health-care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion – to name a few. A wide-ranging curriculum, including extensive experiential learning, prepares our graduates to navigate problems that demand multi-layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.

The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments: Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Real Estate Development, and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. The School’s rigorous academic programs provide students with the knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Integrating classroom instruction with real-world experience and led by some of the world’s most renowned faculty in their fields, our students establish a clear pathway to successful careers.

Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experiences, notable among them are: The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public; The Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy; The USC Lusk Center for Real Estate; The METRANS Transportation Consortium; The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics; and The Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. Together, they account for over $100 million in externally funded research grants and contracts.

Together, these departments and research enterprises provide unmatched breadth and depth to tackle an enormous range of challenges facing our country and the world. Price graduates hold leadership positions across diverse sectors – public, private, and nonprofit – championing the advancement of the common good. They come from around the world and from a variety of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds to create a rich intellectual environment that celebrates, supports and benefits from a variety of backgrounds and opinions.

For additional information, see our website: https://priceschool.usc.edu (opens in new window).

Applicants should submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, one or more sample syllabi, and one or more sets of sample teaching evaluations.

Posted Date 10/13/2026