Website University of Nevada, Reno
Public Research 1 land-grant institution
Job Description
The Department of Political Science within the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno invites applications for a full-time appointment at the rank of tenure-track Assistant Professor in the area of Public Administration. We seek candidates with broad competence in Public Administration and welcome all qualified applicants, including those with expertise in tribal governance, behavioral public administration, state-level public administration, nonprofit management, or other specialties that complement existing research areas in the department. We welcome applicants from any empirical research methodological tradition but expect a high-level of sophistication and rigor.
The Department offers a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) program, which includes a public policy component. The successful candidate will be core faculty in the MPA program and will have the opportunity to teach and advise at all levels of the curriculum (lower and upper division undergraduate, MA, MPA, and PhD), including courses required for degree programs. The standard teaching load is 2/2. More information about the department can be found here: https://www.unr.edu/political-science
Required Qualifications
· Ph.D. in Public Administration, Public Policy, Public Affairs, Political Science or a related field in hand by July 1, 2027.
· A developing or established research agenda in Public Administration, broadly defined.
· A record of, or potential for, publishing in top-tier journals and presses in relevant fields.
· A rigorous, empirical research methodology.
· Demonstrated excellence, or clear evidence of potential for excellence, in teaching in the field of public administration.
· Ability to teach core courses in the MPA program and related courses across graduate and undergraduate levels.
· Ability to teach and mentor MA and PhD students in Public Administration and Public Policy.
Preferred Qualifications
· Evidence of or potential for strong external grant activity.
· Evidence of successful teaching at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels
Compensation Grade/Rank
Rank II, Assistant Professor (9-month, B-contract)
Salary is competitive with a range of $65,000 to $80,500 and commensurate with related education and experience.
Remarkable Retirement
Our retirement plan is beyond compare. Your 19.25% contribution is generously matched by the University. With the faculty retirement plan, you are 100% vested your first day. Sit back and watch your retirement dollars grow! All permanent employees on an annual “A” or “B” contract who are employed at least 50% full-time are eligible to participate in the NSHE retirement program.
Perks of working at UNR
· Health insurance options including dental and vision – Health Insurance
· Generous annual and sick leave, life insurance, and long-term disability – Faculty Benefits
· E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center offers an annual or semester membership and family membership options. E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center
· Mountain EAP supports employees (and eligible dependents) through life’s difficult moments. Mountain EAP is located in Reno and specializes in counseling and advising services for personal or interpersonal issues.
· Several Diversity Committees and Affinity Groups focusing on campus-wide diversity initiatives to ensure we are working to create a diverse and welcoming campus climate. Diversity Groups
· Faculty Senate is the principal representing body for faculty. Its membership includes representatives from each academic and administrative major unit of the University. Faculty Senate
· No state income tax!
Grants-in-aid for Faculty Employees & Their Dependents
The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee’s spouse or domestic partner. Faculty Grant-in-Aid
Faculty Dual Career Assistance Program
The University of Nevada, Reno recognizes the importance of addressing dual-career couples’ professional needs. We offer a dual career assistance program to newly hired faculty spouses/partners that provides resources and assists them to identify career opportunities in Northern Nevada. Dual Career Assistance Program
Department Information
The UNR Department of Political Science is an energetic and collegial community of political scientists and public policy and administration scholars with a commitment to excellence in research and teaching in the Department, the University, and the diverse northern Nevada community. The Department is home to three graduate programs that confer MA, MPA and PhD degrees. It offers a BA and a BS in Political Science and coordinates the International Affairs major and various minors. Faculty participate in a variety of College and University-wide initiatives, such as the Ozmen Institute for Global Studies and the Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences.
Additional information about the Department can be found at the Political Science Department website.
College and University Information
The University of Nevada, Reno is a public Research 1 land-grant institution of the Nevada System of Higher Education with a student population of approximately 21,000, including over 3,000 graduate students with a campus also at Lake Tahoe. We are a comprehensive, doctoral university that has been designated as a Carnegie R1 institution with very high research activity and a Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. Nearly half of our students are students of color, and we are considered a Hispanic Serving Institution. In accordance with the University’s land grant tier-one research institution mission, our faculty are expected to contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through research, teaching, and service in a pluralistic environment.
The University has dynamic intellectual, artistic and sports life, and a close relationship to the city of Reno Located in one of the nation’s fastest-growing innovative economies, Reno is home to a thriving technology ecosystem, attracting leading companies in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, logistics, artificial intelligence, and data infrastructure. It is a growing tech and innovation hub with a diverse population and a rich cultural history that hosts an active art, music and festival scene. Known for its proximity to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains, Reno is a vibrant, diverse and growing city located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, about 200 miles east of San Francisco, about 100 miles east of Sacramento and 30 miles north of the state capital, Carson City. Combined with the neighboring city of Sparks, the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area has a population of more than 500,000. Reno is only 30-45 minutes from Lake Tahoe and major ski resorts and is rated one of the top locations in the United States for living and outdoor recreation. It has an international airport with direct flights to many U.S. transportation hubs and to Mexico. For more information about the city and the surrounding area, please visit www.cityofreno.com and www.visitrenotahoe.com.
The College of Liberal Arts is home to the humanities, social sciences, and arts, offering 13 academic units and 8 additional programs, museums, and centers, including the Center for Constitutional Law and the Center for Basque Studies, that foster creativity, critical thinking, and engaged citizenship. As one of the largest academic units on campus with just under 4,000 students and 240 faculty, the College combines a strong liberal arts tradition with innovative and interdisciplinary teaching, research, and community engagement, preparing students for meaningful careers and lifelong learning in an interconnected world. The College emphasizes inquiry, discovery, and openness to new ideas and perspectives and supports major scholarly research and creative activity in the three disciplines and offers a number of programs at the Lake Tahoe campus. Visit www.unr.edu/liberal-arts for more information about the college, faculty, and students.
The University of Nevada, Reno is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.
Contact Information for this position
Search Chair: Prof. Jeremy Gelman, jgelman@unr.edu
Search Coordinator: Karen Braun, kbraun@unr.edu
Required Attachment(s)
Please note, once you submit your application the only attachment/s viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resume/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachment/s to the cover letter, references, additional documents sections of the application, will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachment/s will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments, prior to the committee review of applications, please contact the candidate helpdesk at jobs@unr.edu.
To apply, please go to:
Please attach the following documents to your application:
1) A complete Curriculum Vita with a list of three references.
2) A cover letter outlining qualifications and experience, research plans, and teaching experience in Public Administration, and how your qualifications would contribute to the college’s mission.
3) A research-based writing sample.
4) A sample syllabus that you have constructed for a course appropriate to this position.
5) Finalists will be asked to share recent teaching evaluations.
Open Until Filled
First review of applications will begin Oct. 1, 2026.
To apply for this job email your details to jobs@unr.edu