Teaching Assistant Professor of Public History - Department of History

West Virginia University

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About The Position

The Department of History in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University invites applications for a Teaching Assistant Professor in Public History beginning August 14, 2026. Teaching Assistant Professor appointments have renewable terms of up to three years, with no limit on the number of terms. These positions are eligible for promotion (e.g., Teaching Assistant Professor to Teaching Associate Professor, etc.); however, promotion to senior ranks is not a requirement for institutional commitment and career stability.
As a unit of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of History serves over 7,000 students annually through general education and undergraduate and graduate classes, and offers Bachelor's degrees in History and Social Studies/Secondary Education, Master's degrees in History and Public History, Doctorate degrees in History, and coordinates a graduate certificate in Cultural Resource Management.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree in History or a closely related field by the time of appointment
• A demonstrated ability to teach public history and cultural management subject matter
• Evidence of professional experience in historic preservation or cultural resource management, including any of the following: Experience working for a federal agency, a state historic preservation office, NGO (e.g. UNESCO), or historic preservation non-profit organization
• Experience securing or managing federal grants or contracts.
• Experience or graduate course work in developing Historic Resource Studies, Administrative Histories, Interpretive Plans, or National Historic Landmark or National Register nominations.

Nice To Haves

• Candidates are encouraged to demonstrate potential for incorporating digital history into their teaching and collaborating with local, regional, and national agencies to provide professional experience for undergraduate and graduate students.

Responsibilities

• The successful candidate will teach graduate and undergraduate classes in public history, historic preservation, local history research methods, and cultural resource management
• Develop public history projects to provide experience for students in collaboration with local, state, and federal agencies.
• Offer classes to fulfill the needs of the general education curriculum and students in the major and minor while recruiting undergraduates to our Public History graduate program.
• The normal teaching load for this position is four courses per semester, but this position includes a one course equivalency for planning and implementing community-driven projects for student learning and another for advising and overseeing students in the Cultural Resource Management Program and undergraduates interested in Public History.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree