Assistant Professor, Dental Technology

Palomar College; San Marcos (CA); On-site; USD 77,000 - 122,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental plan

Vision plan

Life insurance

Long-term care insurance

Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)

Job summary

Palomar College seeks an Assistant Professor, Dental Technology to teach a range of courses in the Dental Assisting program. The role includes department leadership as Director with a 60/40 split between teaching and administrative duties.

Starting salary ranges from $77,011 to $122,364 annually; faculty placement on the schedule will influence exact pay. Palomar offers extensive benefits and a strong commitment to diversity and student success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher AND two years of relevant teaching experience.
• Instruction in educational theory and methodology (curriculum development, educational psychology, test construction).

Responsibilities

• Teach a variety of Dental Technology courses with a 60% load.
• Serve as Department Chair with 40% reassigned time.
• Provide leadership for program planning, evaluation, and continuous improvement.

Skills

Teaching

Curriculum development

Educational theory

Assessment design

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Job description

Assistant Professor, Dental Technology
Department: Dental Assisting Department
Palomar College

Date Opened: 09/28/2026
Close Date: 11/02/2026

Primary Function: The Assistant Professor/Program Director*, Dental Technology isprimarily responsible for teaching a variety of courses in the discipline of Dental Technology (Dental Assisting). Specifically, these courses include:

• Introduction to Dental Science and Dental Occupations (DA-50)
• Dental Science and Anatomy (DA-57)
• Dental Materials (DA-60)
• Dental Practice Management (DA-65)
• Dental Radiography I (DA-70)
• Dental Radiography II (DA-71)
• Dental Operative Procedures (DA-75)
• Advanced Operative Procedures (DA-85)
• Preventive Dentistry I (DA-82)
• Preventive Dentistry II (DA-83)
• Clinical Rotation I (DA-91)
• Advanced Clinical Rotation (DA-92)

This position will have a 60% teaching load and will serve as the Department Chair with 40% reassigned time. The AssistantProfessor/Program Director* will provide leadership and oversightof the Dental Assisting Program, including program planning,implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement.

*Note: This position is designated as the Program Director for the California Dental Board (DBC) and the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and will also receive a stipend in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement(CBA) for serving as the Dental Assisting Coordinator. The ProgramDirector title will need to be negotiated between the District and the Palomar Faculty Federation (PFF) union to have it updated from Dental Assisting Coordinator to Dental Assisting Program Director.

Salary: Starting salary range: $77,011.42 – $122,363.70 annually. Academic training and teaching experience will form the basis for salary computation as determined by placement on the regular salary schedule of the College. A maximum of step 8 at the appropriate salary grade will be awarded to new faculty. For a salary estimate, visit www.palomar.edu/hr/employees/classifications/salary/ and use the links in the Full-time Faculty section.

Benefits: In addition to a competitive compensation structure, Palomar College also offers an extremely generous benefits package.

• Insurance fully paid for employees and their eligible dependents: four medical plans, dental HMO, and the vision plan(additional plans are available that require employee buyup/monthly contribution)
• $80,000 employee term life/accident insurance policy(additional buy up options available)
• Employee long-term care insurance
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) – Free counseling, financial,legal, personal and professional development resources
• Additional buy up options available for other voluntaryinsurance benefits
• Enrollment in CalSTRS (California State Teachers RetirementSystem)

The estimated maximum value of this employer-paid benefits package is approximately $31,245.84 annually.

Minimum Qualifications: Must meet both sets of qualifications listed under 1) and 2) below:

1. Any bachelor's degree or higher AND two yearsof professional experience directly related to the teaching assignment.
2. Must have had instruction in educational theory andmethodology, e.g., curriculum development, educational psychology,test construction, measurement and evaluation.

Only coursework completed at, and degrees awarded by, accreditedinstitutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education will be considered as satisfying the minimum qualifications. Coursework and degrees that are completed outside of the United States arerequired to have transcripts evaluated (evaluation to U.S.equivalency and a course by course analysis) by an appropriate U.S.credentials evaluation service. For a list of credential evaluation agencies accepted by Palomar College, visit the National Association of Credentials Evaluation Services (NACES) website at https://www.naces.org/index or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) website at http://aice-eval.org/.

• NOTE: For professional experience, a “year” isdefined as equivalent to 40 hours per week for 10 months.

Diversity Statement: Palomar College serves over 30,000 students from a variety of backgrounds and we are proud to be aHispanic Serving Institution. Our student body is rich in its diversity. Palomar College is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion,access and antiracism. We are dedicated to empowering students to succeed and are guided by our core values; some of which are the following:

• Access - We make education possible for everyone.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - We recognize and respect diversity, seek to foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, and strive to address inequities. All positions require cultural competency which includes thesensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic,socioeconomic, cultural, disability, sex, gender identity, sexualorientation, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students,faculty, and staff.

About the District: Palomar College, founded in 1946, is a comprehensive, two-year community college that serves the greater North San Diego County region. Palomar College offers over 200 associate degree and certificate programs to approximately 25,000 full- and part-time students. A favorite in the community among local institutions of higher education, the College is recognized as one of the top 100 Colleges and Universities in the nation for serving Hispanic students. Palomar College is just 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean and 30 miles away from all of the exciting cultural activities that San Diego has to offer.

Palomar College is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).