Assistant Professor of Psychology - General

Western Carolina University

Psychology

Western Carolina University continues to rank high on Forbes 'Best Employers' lists each year. Including: 2025 – Ranked 1st in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes 'America's Best Employers by State' list. 2024 – Ranking in the top 8.5% on Forbes 'America's Best Midsize Employers' list, WCU was ranked 34 out of the top 400 employers across all industries.

2023 – Ranked in the top 20% on Forbes 'America's Best Midsize Employers' list, WCU was ranked 97 out of the top 500 employers across all industries. 2022 – Ranked 14th in the top 100 employers in North Carolina in Forbes 'America's Best Employers by State' list. Western Carolina University is the UNC system's westernmost campus and has been consistently ranked as one of the top 15 public regional institutions in the South.

• Benefit eligible employees have access to dental, vision and health insurance plans – eligibility begins on the first of the month following date of hire.
• Retirement plan contributions begin on the eligibility date following election and include employer contributions for either a defined contribution or a defined benefit plan.
• Optional disability plans are also available.
• Eligible employees have access to tuition waivers for up to three courses per academic year; employee may enroll at any of the constituent UNC System campuses.
• Also offered are free group exercise classes multiple times per week, a discounted membership to the campus recreation center, free vaccine and booster shots offered on campus, pretax flexible spending accounts, 12 paid holidays and 24 hours of paid community service leave each year.
• Leave earning employees (staff and 12-month faculty) who work at least half of the working days of their first month of employment will begin accruing vacation and sick leave immediately.
• Paid parental leave after 12 months of continuous service.

The primary location of this position is on the main Cullowhee, NC campus.

The Psychology Department at Western Carolina University (WCU) invites applications for a 9-month, full-time, tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level. The projected begin work date is August 2027.

The typical teaching load for a tenure-track faculty is a 3-3 (Fall/Spring), consisting of both undergraduate and graduate courses. The area of expertise is open, but the successful candidate will show evidence of or potential for success in the teaching of general psychology, research methods, and courses in the faculty member's area of expertise. Based on department needs and faculty interest and expertise, opportunities to teach careers and issues, senior seminar, or a graduate course may also be available.

As a teacher-scholar, the successful faculty member is expected to maintain a program of meaningful disciplinary research that is engaging to both undergraduate and graduate students. Consistent with this expectation, willingness to supervise directed study courses (PSY 280/480/680), graduate thesis and dissertation research is important to this position. To support research, the psychology department has three dedicated spaces for research, including a lab with EEG equipment, as well as access to an undergraduate research participant (SONA) pool.

Opportunities for collaboration within the department, college, and across the university are also encouraged and supported. Faculty in the department hold expertise in a wide range of subdisciplines within psychology, including but not limited to social psychology, developmental-, rural-, and clinical health psychology, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, human sexuality, and forensic psychology.…