Education Department: Teaching Professor and Director of Teacher Education; Review Date

Overview

Position title: Teaching Professor and Director of Teacher Education (Assistant, Associate, and Full Teaching Professor Ranks)

Salary range: Commensurate with qualifications and experience. A reasonable estimate for the fiscal-year (twelve-month basis) annual salary is $95,.

Percent time: Full-time (100%)

Anticipated start: July 1, 2026. The degree requirements must be met by June 30, 2026 for employment effective July 1, 2026 and beyond.

Application Window

Open date: September 12, 2025

Next review date: Wednesday, Nov 12, 2025 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date: Tuesday, Jun 30, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

The Education Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) invites applications for the open rank position of Teaching Professor and Director of Teacher Education. The department seeks an experienced and visionary leader who will steward the widely respected Master of Arts/Credential Program (MA/C) which prepares teachers to challenge inequity and foster liberatory learning in schools and communities. At a critical time for public education, we are looking for a leader who can meet the urgency of this moment with clarity, integrity, and imagination.

The ideal candidate will bring the skills and experience necessary to direct a comprehensive teacher education program and a commitment to preparing educators who can navigate and help transform complex educational landscapes. We welcome applicants who bring innovative and collaborative approaches to teacher development that support both pre-service and in-service educators in building more just and humane educational futures.

The Department prepares approximately 65 credential students for teaching in K-12 California public schools. The program, which also grants a Masters of Arts in Education, operates on a year-round (summer to summer) schedule. Under the direction of the Education Department Chair, the MA/C Program Director is responsible for day-to-day program components as well as cultivating and stewarding the long-term vision of the program in meeting its mission.

The job includes building and sustaining partnerships with educators and administrators in regional school districts; guiding the work of Teacher Supervisors and Lecturers; ensuring oversight of student teaching placements; coordinating the teaching performance assessment for credential candidates (e.g., EdTPA and/or CalTPA); monitoring student progress; cultivating an alumni network; leading report writing and long-term planning; and adhering to California's state credentialing guidelines.

The selected candidate will supervise and evaluate approximately six teacher supervisors and lecturers, and organize and support students and instructors with a particular emphasis on pedagogical practice, student recruitment, and student success. The MA/Credential program is supported by a dedicated Credential Analyst and department staff. The successful candidate will also serve as Chair of the Teacher Education Committee (TEC), lead the Education Department faculty in assessing program strengths and envisioning and implementing improvements and reforms, and collaborate with directors of teacher education at other University of California campuses.

With a Teaching Professor line, the successful candidate will both teach and engage in mentoring activities related to education and teaching. Furthermore, teaching professors are expected to sustain research or other professional activity in the broader field of education; this could include, for example, research publications, textbook development, professional development materials, presentations, and grant proposals, among others. Teaching professors must also engage in service at the program, department, and campus-wide levels.

Applicants with the following areas of expertise or experience are strongly encouraged to apply:
Knowledge of the California credentialing system and state and national teacher education initiatives;
Publication and/or grant-funding record;
Significant preK-12 experience;
Record of engaging with in-service teacher professional development; experience building and sustaining school and community partnerships;
Skills and capacity to intellectually and administratively direct a comprehensive pre-service teacher education program; and/or Demonstrated expertise to teach pre-service teachers at the college/university level.

The University of California, Santa Cruz, is a Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution with a high proportion of first-generation and low-income students. The MA/C program is committed to inquiry and asset based pedagogies for preparing teachers to improve the education of students from a wide range of…