Full-Time Tenure Track Faculty Position for Assistant or Associate Professor in the School of Art

Posted On: October 14, 2026

Hours: Full Time

Description:

The School of Art at the Cooper Union invites applications and nominations for a full-time tenure track faculty position at the Assistant or Associate Professor level with an emphasis in  lens-based practices to begin August 2027.

Requirements: Qualified candidates should have familiarity with a broad range of lens-based practices, including analog and digital techniques, in photography and/or moving image work. The candidate should also have a robust understanding of contemporary artmaking practices and materials, with an expertise in at least one of the following areas: computational image and object fabrication, installation, or sound art. Competitive candidates will ideally have at least five years of college level studio teaching and national/international recognition.

Applicants must demonstrate an ability and willingness to engage in the School of Art’s generalist curriculum, which entails teaching in the Foundation year as well as advanced courses and working with students and faculty across a range of disciplines. In addition, the Cooper Union School of Art seek applicants with a strong commitment to service to the institution, faculty governance and artistic research.

Teaching Obligations: School of Art faculty are expected to teach on average two courses each semester with nine credits of course release within the first six semesters.

About the Cooper Union: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is a private, primarily undergraduate institution enrolling approximately 1000 students. Through outstanding academic degree programs in architecture, art, and engineering, further enriched by a commitment to the social sciences and the humanities, 
The Cooper Union prepares student to make enlightened contributions to society. The institution provides an engaging, interactive curriculum with distinguished, creative faculty and fosters rigorous, humanistic learning in a dynamic setting. Founded as an egalitarian institution, The Cooper Union has always been open to all people regardless of race, gender, religion, or socioeconomic status. The College continues to be a welcoming community for students, faculty, and staff from all walks of life and has focused over the past five years on continuing efforts to expand diversity, equity, and inclusion into the curriculum, the student body, and both faculty and staff recruitment and retention. Located in Manhattan’s East Village, Cooper Union is situated in the heart of New York City.

About the School of Art: The mission of the School of Art is to educate artists in the broadest sense, both as creative practitioners engaged with a wide range of disciplines in the visual arts and as enlightened citizens of the world who are prepared to question and transform society. Application Process: Applicants should submit the following materials: Cover letter, CV, names and contact information for three references, samples of syllabi from courses previously taught, Artist statement, including research interests and areas of practice, Portfolio of 18 images, and/or 3 moving image files, up to twenty minutes each, Statement of teaching philosophy. (Please include some examples, including working with students of different backgrounds and abilities: how you relate to students and ensure good learning outcomes in the classroom; your most important references in your teaching overall and/or in specific classes you've taught; how do those inform your relationship to students.) Applications should be uploaded via SlideRoom.

https://cooperunionschoolofart.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/91826

Review of applications will begin January 19, 2027, for optimal consideration. We plan to conduct Zoom interviews for selected candidates in January and February, with campus visits to follow in March. Starting salary range for Assistant or Associate Professor is $90,000-$114,000. Rank and salary commensurate with experience.


 

This is a unionized position.

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.