College Assistant Professor of Practice in Early Childhood Education

Job Information

• Location:
  
  Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
• Position Type:
  Faculty
• Term: 12-Month Faculty Full-Time
• Closing Date:
  Mar 9 2026 - 23:55 MDT

Department Contact: Alma Meza, , almeza

Internal or External Search: External - Open to all applicants

Position Title: College Assistant Professor of Practice in Early Childhood Education

College/Division: College of Health, Education & Social Transformation

Department: 350150-CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

Location: Las Cruces

Target Salary: 81,000

Appointment Full-time Equivalency: 1.0

FLSA Status: Exempt

Bargaining Unit: This is NOT a bargaining unit position with American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

Funding Status: Contingent upon funding

Standard

Work Schedule:

Standard (M-F, 8-5)

The successful candidate will provide undergraduate and graduate instruction in online asynchronous, hybrid, and face‑to‑face formats and support coordination and recruitment to graduate programs in early childhood education. Regular on‑campus presence and in‑person job duties are required.

Early Childhood Education at NMSU is dedicated to preparing teachers and educating persons for higher education in research, scholarship, practice and policy. The field of Early Childhood Education is concerned with the well‑being, development, and learning of children from birth through age eight. Our program focuses on early children education through a theoretical orientation which places early childhood education within broader social, historical, political, and cultural contexts.

Coursework provides a context for students to critically examine early care and education. Themes of bilingual/multilingual and multicultural education and care, critical thinking, and reflective teaching are infused throughout the Early Childhood coursework.

• Our Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education includes face‑to‑face and online classes as well as several field‑based experiences in birth through third grade educational settings, including in collaboration with the university lab school.
• Our Master of Arts in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Education program is completely online and designed for working professionals.
• Our Master’s plus Licensure program and Alternative Licensure Graduate Certificate program require both online courses and face‑to‑face field experiences. Licensure programs require students to complete 100 hours of practicum in a K‑3 classroom setting and meet other New Mexico Public Education legislative mandates.

The ideal candidate will be adept at providing dynamic and community‑informed in‑person and online instruction. They will keep organized records and demonstrate strong written and oral communication skills. The candidate should preferably demonstrate a successful history of teaching courses in early childhood education to students from diverse backgrounds.

The College Track Assistant Professor will teach four courses in the fall semester, four courses in the spring semester, and two courses in the summer semester with .8 FTE toward teaching and .2 toward service.

This position will work directly with the Coordinators of the Early Childhood Master’s Programs, Graduate Certificate Program, and the Clinical Director of Early Childhood Education to revise on‑line courses, further develop graduate programs, mentor and advise students, and teach graduate and undergraduate early childhood education courses.

Required

Education and Experience:

• Possess an earned doctorate degree or achieved all but dissertation (ABD) status from an accredited institution of higher education in Early Childhood Education or related field.
• Experience with teaching in a higher education setting, preferably experience with on‑line and in‑person teaching.
• A minimum of five‑years experience in early childhood education (birth through age eight).
• Demonstrate effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Evidence of providing service to the professional and/or academic community.

• Multilingual (with emphasis on Spanish, Indigenous…