Assistant Professor 105770

University of West Florida; Pensacola (FL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of West Florida Department of Art & Design invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor of Museum Studies to help develop the new Minor in Museum Studies and expand the Art History Major into Museum Studies, with hands-on experiences in museums, galleries, and public programs.

The role emphasizes interdisciplinary practice, experiential learning, and partnerships with TAG, Pensacola Museum of Art, FPAN and other regional institutions, guiding exhibitions,

Qualifications

• Holds the highest degree appropriate in Museum Studies, Art History, Public History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Arts Administration, Exhibition Design, Curatorial Studies, or a related field.
• Teaching experience at the university level or demonstrated potential for effective undergraduate teaching.
• Professional experience in museums, galleries, archives, or related cultural institutions.

Responsibilities

• Teach courses across museum studies, curatorial practice, gallery operations, and related disciplines.
• Develop and curate exhibitions and exhibition-related learning opportunities.
• Collaborate with regional partners to coordinate internships, public programming, and community engagement.

Education

Terminal degree in Museum Studies or related field

Job description

POSITION DETAILS

Employment based visa sponsorship will be considered for this position.

Position Number:105770

Classification Title: Assistant Professor

Working Title: Assistant Professor of Museum Studies

Department: Dept of Art and Design

FLSA Status: Exempt

Salary Range: Commensurate with education and experience

Pay Basis: Annually

POSITION OVERVIEW

JOB SUMMARY

The University of West Florida Department of Art & Design invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor of Museum Studies. This position will play a central role in developing the new interdisciplinary Minor in Museum Studies and expanding the Art History Major into Museum Studies, both designed to provide students with foundational knowledge and hands-on experience in museums, galleries, collections management, exhibition production, interpretation, preparatorship, and public-facing cultural work. The salary for this position will be commensurate with education and experience.

This initiative supports the university’s area of expertise in Public Archaeology and Community Heritage and is intended to serve undergraduate and graduate students in Art, Art History, History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Public History, Graphic Design, Arts Administration, and related disciplines. The program will leverage the University’s unique partnerships and resources, including TAG, The Art Gallery at UWF, the Pensacola Museum of Art, the Pensacola Museum of History, the Pensacola Children’s Museum, the UWF Historic Trust, the UWF Archaeology Institute, and the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN).

The successful candidate will contribute to the development and growth of the Museum Studies Minor and Art History and Museum Studies Major while also helping to guide The Art Gallery at UWF (TAG) as a teaching gallery, exhibition space, and experiential learning site. The position emphasizes interdisciplinary learning, applied museum practice, and student-centered professional development through coursework, internships, exhibitions, collections work, public programming, and collaborative cultural projects.

The faculty member will be housed in the Department of Art & Design in the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of West Florida. The Department is strongly committed to fostering a welcoming, collaborative, and student-centered learning environment grounded in interdisciplinary practice, experiential learning, and community engagement.

Position Responsibilities

This is a full-time, tenure-earning position with benefits. The successful candidate will contribute to developing an interdisciplinary Museum Studies Minor and an Art History and Museum Studies Major, teaching courses across museum studies, curatorial practice, gallery operations, collections management, museum education, public history, and audience engagement.

Teaching responsibilities may include undergraduate courses within the Department of Art & Design, as well as courses that support interdisciplinary connections with History, Public History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Art Administration and related majors and programs. Depending on the candidate’s expertise, courses may address topics such as:

• Museum Studies
• Exhibition Practices
• Curatorial Methods
• Collections Management
• Museum Education and Interpretation
• Gallery Operations
• Preparatorship and Exhibition Installation
• Public History and Community Heritage
• Museum Writing and Audience Engagement
• Digital Interpretation and Public-Facing Cultural Work
• Art History
• Architectural History

The successful candidate should demonstrate the ability to curate exhibitions and develop exhibition-related learning opportunities in collaboration with TAG, the Pensacola Museum of Art, the UWF Historic Trust, the UWF Archaeology Institute, FPAN, and other regional museums, galleries, archives, archaeological organizations, and cultural institutions.

Experiential Learning & Museum and Gallery Engagement

The position connects classroom learning directly to applied gallery and museum practice by guiding exhibitions as teaching opportunities and experiential learning sites, coordinating exhibition and experiential learning opportunities through partnerships with TAG, The Art Gallery at UWF, the Pensacola Museum of Art, the Pensacola Museum of History, the Pensacola Children’s Museum, the UWF Historic Trust, the UWF Archaeology Institute, and the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN). The faculty member will coordinate the department's experiential learning ecosystem and provide mentorship across all stages of exhibition production. This includes leading student-centered initiatives such as exhibition and event graphic design, administrative and preparatorial operations, and an annual faculty-partnered exhibition series that connects coursework with faculty research. Together, these opportunities allow students to engage in the full lifecycle of exhibitions—from concept development and design to installation, programming, and documentation as the Assistant Professor strengthens curricular connections and expands partnerships with regional cultural institutions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Holds the highest degree appropriate in Museum Studies, Art History, Public History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Arts Administration, Exhibition Design, Curatorial Studies, or a related field, or possesses equivalent qualifications based on professional experience, and be otherwise qualified to perform assigned duties. The appointee engages in teaching, scholarship and creative projects, and/or service and other related activities.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Terminal degree, PhD, MFA, or equivalent, in Museum Studies, Art History, Public History, Anthropology, Archaeology, Arts Administration, Exhibition Design, Curatorial Studies, or a related field, completed by the start date of appointment.

Professional experience in museums, galleries, archives, collections, cultural institutions, exhibition spaces, or related organizations.

Teaching experience at the university level or demonstrated potential for effective undergraduate teaching.

Demonstrated ability to support gallery, museum, exhibition, collections-based, or public-facing cultural learning experiences for undergraduate students.

Demonstrated commitment to experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and student professional development.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience developing or teaching interdisciplinary Museum Studies coursework.

Experience directing, managing, or coordinating a museum, university gallery, exhibition space, archive, collection, cultural program, or public-facing arts initiative.

Experience with exhibition production, collections management, curatorial practice, museum education, preparatorship, archives, public programming, or cultural heritage interpretation.

Experience curating exhibitions or developing exhibition-related projects in collaboration with museums, galleries, archives, archaeological organizations, public history sites, community-based cultural institutions, or university partners.

Experience supporting experiential learning, internships, undergraduate research, project-based learning, or high-impact educational practices.

Experience mentoring students in applied museum, gallery, exhibition, design, archival, or public history contexts.

Ability to contribute to interdisciplinary collaboration across Art, Art History, Graphic Design, History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Public History, Arts Administration, and related fields.

Experience working with student exhibition teams, design teams, preparator teams, gallery interns, or museum education programs.

Experience teaching in multiple modalities, including in-person and online instruction.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Physical Requirements: Regularly involves lifting, bending or other physical exertion. Often exposed to one or more disagreeable environmental factors, such as heat, cold, noise, dust, dirt, chemicals, etc., with often to the point of being objectionable.
• Impact of Deadlines:Routine deadlines. Usually sufficient lead time. Variance in work volume, seasonal, and predictable. Priorities can be anticipated. Some interruptions are present. Involves occasional exposure to demands/pressures from persons other than immediate sup.
• Standing: Daily
• Walking:Daily
• Sitting:Daily
• Reaching with hands and arms:Daily
• Climbing or balancing:Daily
• Stooping:Daily
• Use of hands to handle objects:Daily
• Lifting up to 10lbs:Daily
• Lifting up to 25lbs:Occasionally
• Lifting over 25lbs:Occasionally
• Talking as express or exchange of ideas verbally:Daily
• Hearing as perceive sound by ear:Daily
• Vision as distinguish colors & depth:Daily

Special Requirements or Considerations of the Job:

• This position requires a criminal background screening.

ADDITIONAL POSTING DETAILS

Number of Vacancies: 1

Work Hours: Dependent on course schedule

FTE: 1.0

Preferred Response Date:12/01/2026