Assistant Professor of Special Education

SJSU Lurie College of Education; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 96,000 - 97,000; Full time

Job summary

The Department of Special Education at San José State University invites applications for an Assistant Professor position beginning August 2027. The appointee will contribute to MA in Special Education and Education Specialist credential programs, with a focus on bilingual learners from diverse backgrounds.

The role includes teaching, scholarly activity, and service within a supportive, equity‑oriented environment at SJSU and in collaboration with local school districts.

Qualifications

• PhD or EdD in Special Education or related field.
• Demonstrated potential for research and scholarly writing.
• Awareness of the educational goals of a diverse student population from cross-cultural study, training, teaching, or related experience.

Responsibilities

• Teach a range of courses in the Department of Special Education across undergraduate, credential, and MA programs.
• Maintain an active scholarly agenda necessary for tenure and promotion.
• Provide service to the department through advising, curriculum development, assessment, and accreditation tasks; guide advisement for bilingual authorization.

Skills

Scholarly writing

Research potential

Cross-cultural awareness

Education

PhD or EdD in Special Education or related field

Job description

Position Rank and Title:

Assistant Professor of Special Education

School/Department Name:

Lurie College of Education / Department of Special Education

Compensation:

Commensurate with qualifications, experience, and rank as established by the CSU Salary Schedule. Anticipated hiring academic year annual salary range: $95,928-97,224

Faculty employee benefits are very competitive for the higher education sector. See the CSU Employee Benefits Summary for details about the CSU's excellent benefits package.

Target Start Date:

August 17, 2027

Application Deadline:

December 20, 2026 (Applications accepted until filled or closed)

Position Description

The Department of Special Education at San José State University is pleased to announce a search for an Assistant Professor of Special Education beginning in August 2027. We seek candidates who possess strong potential for scholarly research, writing, and teaching in the Master of Arts (MA) in Special Education and Education Specialist Credential programs across undergraduate, credential, and MA degree pathways. Candidates with expertise in working with students who are bilingual and from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, and who have Mild to Moderate disabilities, are especially welcome to apply.

The Department of Special Education within the Lurie College of Education at SJSU takes pride in preparing transformative special educators who possess the knowledge and skills to meet the intersectional identities of all learners and work as change agents to create equitable and inclusive environments in schools. The Department offers a Master’s in Special Education program and three Education Specialist credential programs accredited by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The department prepares candidates to work in over 40 school districts across the diverse communities of the greater San Jose area, including satellite programs in the Tri-Valley area and Santa Cruz County. The department has developed strong collaborative relationships with many Local Education Agencies and operates three Teacher Residency Programs. In addition, the department partners with the Liberal Studies, Child and Adolescent Development, and Math departments to run five-year blended BA to MA programs that include the Education Specialist credential. Applicants can learn more about the Department of Special Education by previewing the program website at https://www.sjsu.edu/specialed/

The Department of Special Education and San José State University value institutional excellence and are committed to advancing equity through research, teaching, and service. We enroll more than 40,000 students, many of whom are historically underserved; approximately 45% of our undergraduate students are first‑generation college students and 38% are Pell Grant recipients. In addition, we are both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). SJSU aspires to create holistic learning environments that facilitate both individual and collective transformation. We seek teacher‑scholars who cultivate inclusive, empowering spaces for mutual learning, skill‑building, and knowledge exchange for all students. Our commitment to lifelong learning supports meaningful connections among faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the broader communities we serve.

We invite all applicants to include a Statement of Institutional Excellence (or incorporate it into your cover letter) to share how your lived and professional experiences will contribute to the SJSU community—particularly in relation to student success. A guide to writing this statement can be found at SJSU Institutional Excellence Statement Guidelines.

Required Qualifications

• PhD or EdD in Special Education or related field
• Demonstrated potential for research and scholarly writing
• Applicants should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a socially and economically diverse student population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Priority will be given to candidates who possess one or more of the following:

• Minimum of three years of public school teaching experience with bilingual students with mild to moderate disabilities in K-12 settings
• Ability and interest in supporting teacher candidates earning a bilingual authorization, including field supervision in bilingual settings
• Ability and interest in teaching and/or advising dissertations for doctoral students in Lurie College's EdD program.
• Strong potential for research and scholarly work in the field of bilingual special education, as evidenced by one or more of the following: publications in professional journals, grant proposals, or conference presentations

Key Responsibilities

• The candidate will teach a range of courses in the Department of Special Education, which may include any combination of Master’s, credential, and/or undergraduate students.
• The candidate will maintain an active scholarly agenda as necessary for tenure and promotion.
• The candidate will provide service to the Department of Special Education through a variety of tasks as deemed necessary for the department’s operation, such as advising students, curriculum development, assessment and accreditation tasks, and recruitment activities. In particular, the candidate will guide advisement for the Department’s bilingual authorization program.
• The candidate will participate in shared governance, usually in department, college, and university committees and other service assignments.
• Faculty shall organize all their classes within the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
• The candidate must demonstrate awareness and experience in understanding the needs of a student population of great diversity – in age, abilities, cultural background, ethnicity, religion, economic background, primary language, sexual orientation, gender identity, and academic preparation – through inclusive course materials, teaching strategies, and advisement.

Other Duties

Note that all San José State University employees are considered mandated reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and are required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and CSU systemwide policy, some faculty duties may lead to designation as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). CSAs are required to complete Clery Act training and to immediately report Clery incidents to the institution.

Faculty employees must complete CSU employee training as assigned and required based on their role (e.g., Data Security, FERPA, Preventing Discrimination and Harassment, Title IX, Health and Safety). The President may recommend or require compliance with safety measures that decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission or illness and allows the core mission and activities of the campus to continue.