Assistant/Associate Professor of English (Tenure-Track)

Biola University, Inc.; La Mirada (CA); On-site; USD 84,000 - 109,000; Full time

Job summary

Biola University in La Mirada, CA, invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor of English with a focus on fiction writing. The position begins August 2027 and seeks a writer‑teacher with a strong publication record to mentor undergraduates and contribute to English programs.

The successful candidate will teach creative writing and general education writing, support Biola’s faith-based liberal arts mission, and engage in service, curriculum development, and scholarly

Qualifications

• MFA or PhD with a creative writing (fiction) concentration.
• Publication record in fiction (book-length or multiple journal publications).
• Experience with editorial process of a literary publication.

Responsibilities

• Teach the equivalent of 12 units per semester in creative writing and general education writing.
• Produce creative work and scholarly activity commensurate with expertise.
• Contribute to department/university service and program development.

Skills

Creative writing

Teaching experience

Editorial experience

Education

MFA or PhD with fiction concentration

Job description

Assistant/Associate Professor of English (Tenure-Track)

The School of Arts and Letters, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Biola University-Fall 2027

Position Summary:

The Department of English at Biola University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor of English. This is a full-time appointment with an August 2027 start date. We seek a fiction writer and experienced teacher with a substantial and sustained record of creative writing and publication.

The department is vibrant and collegial, committed to human flourishing through the integration of scholarship, pedagogy, and faith. The ideal candidate is a faculty member who wants to invest in our writing students and as well as in our broader Programs in English—a writer-teacher who will bring significant creative writing and publishing experience to the classroom and demonstrate excellence in teaching and mentoring undergraduate writers. In addition to creative writing in fiction, the ideal candidate will also have experience and be able to teach in other areas such as creative nonfiction, literary journalism, and/or digital and technical writing.

The faculty member will teach courses in creative writing as well as general education writing courses, fostering students as writers and critical thinkers. The faculty member will contribute to the life of the English Department through teaching, student mentoring, professional writing and publication, curriculum and program development, and university service. The successful candidate will support Biola University’s commitment to excellence in teaching through the integration of Christian faith and learning and must demonstrate a commitment to working with a diverse student population.

Role and Responsibilities:

The faculty member will teach the equivalent of 12 units per semester, produce creative work and scholarship commensurate with teaching/expertise, and provide service to the department and university community.

Anticipated teaching responsibilities may include:

• Creative writing workshop courses for the English major (introductory and advanced)
• Teaching in Biola's Good Life Core Curriculum program, fully launching in the 28-29 academic year. In addition to some departmental GE courses, faculty in The School of Arts & Letters will teach across a four-course Humanities sequence at the heart of the curriculum. The Good Life Core invites students to the search for wisdom through careful reading of transformative texts and wrestling with enduring human questions, rooted in the Western and Christian intellectual traditions in their global contexts.
• Other courses appropriate to faculty expertise and department needs
• Participate in departmental, school service, professional development, and spiritual community life.

Minimum Qualifications

• MFA or equivalent with a specialization in fiction or a PhD in English with a creative writing (fiction) concentration
• Creative productivity in fiction writing, demonstrated via publication of an original book-length work of fiction by a commercial, academic, or independent press (required for Associate level); and/or multiple fiction publications in literary journals or magazines
• Experience with the editorial process of a literary magazine
• Excellence in undergraduate teaching and student mentoring
• Commitment to Biola’s mission and affirmation of its Doctrinal Statement and theological principles, as a residential, evangelical Christian liberal arts institution

The Department and School/University

The Department of English at Biola University is committed to cultivating careful and reflective readers, nuanced and complex thinkers, and clear, creative, and compelling writers. We seek to integrate Christian faith and learning throughout our teaching, scholarship, creative work, and mentoring. Faculty are committed to close student-faculty relationships and to creating an environment in which students can flourish as whole persons.

Biola University

Biola University is a Christ-centered, private university in La Mirada, California, serving a diverse student body of approximately 3,500 undergraduates and 2,000 graduate students. Our mission is to equip men and women in mind and character to impact the world for Christ. Faculty are expected to affirm Biola’s Theological Positions and Standard of Conduct, and to actively engage in spiritual formation and mentorship within the community. Biola University is situated on the border between Los Angeles and Orange Counties, home to one of the most diverse metropolitan areas in the world. This affords our students strong opportunities for internships, job placement, service learning projects, and networking. For more information, please visit www.biola.edu.

Salary range: $83,688 - $109,330