Assistant Professor: Design | Urban Design (Tenure-Track)

Design | Urban Design (Tenure-Track)
The Department of Architecture at Kansas State University invites applications for a tenuretrack faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor beginning August 2026. We are seeking individuals committed to architectural education through studio teaching and design inquiry.

The successful candidate will teach a design studio as well as a required or elective course in their area of expertise each semester. In addition, they will engage in research, scholarship, and/or creative activity and contribute to the collective governance of the department, college, and university through service and collaboration.

Design
Design studio teaching is central to the department's curriculum, engaging a range of contexts, scales, and methods. Candidates should demonstrate a clear approach to design pedagogy and be prepared to teach both core and advanced studios. We are particularly interested in candidates who view design as a mode of critical investigation. Their studio teaching should engage digital tools and address contemporary issues within the discipline and the world at large through current and emergent pedagogical modes and practices.

Urban Design
The successful candidate will develop and teach a required introductory lecture course in urban design. The course will provide students with foundational knowledge including formal and spatial strategies, analytical tools, and key historical and theoretical concepts. The course will also take a critical perspective by examining the social, cultural, and political contexts of the urban environment. This includes the synthesis of scales of influence from human scale to buildings to cities to regions.

The successful candidate will also collaborate and contribute to the re-envisioning and teaching of urban design within the department. They will bring leadership and expertise in the integration of urban design principles throughout the curriculum and studio sequence.

Minimum Qualifications:

* Terminal professional degree in Architecture (M.Arch or equivalent).
* Professional practice experience in architecture sufficient to have fulfilled the experience requirement for architectural licensure.
* Interest and ability to teach architectural design studios.
* Ability to develop and teach required and elective courses in their area of expertise.
* Interest and ability to develop a research/creative agenda related to their area of expertise.

The degree requirement is necessary for accreditation purposes and to ensure candidates possess the specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities that can only be attained through a formal educational program at this level.

Sponsorship eligibility:

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. on an ongoing basis without sponsorship.

* Letter of interest addressing qualifications;
* Curriculum Vitae describing academic and professional experience;
* A list of three references with contact information; and
* Digital portfolio documenting: teaching, scholarly, professional work

Direct all inquiries to Professor Michael McGlynn, Search Committee Chair, (785) 532-5953 or mmcglynn@ksu.edu. Review of candidates will begin January 15, 2026.

Department of Architecture
The Department of Architecture at Kansas State University is a nationally recognized program offering a professional Master of Architecture and a post-professional Master of Science in Architecture. The department sponsors studios at the Kansas City Design Center (KCDC) in Kansas City, MO, and the Italian Studies Program in Orvieto, Italy. Faculty may also participate in the college-wide interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Environmental Design & Planning. The department is located on K-State's main campus in Manhattan, KS, in the scenic Flint Hills region, about 120 miles west of Kansas City. To learn more about the Department of Architecture and our programs, please visit our website at apdesign.k-state.edu/arch/.

Applications close on: April 1, 2026

$75,000 - $85,000