Clinical Assistant Professor Jobs in Los Angeles, CA

Job ID REQ20182266 Category Faculty

The Department of Business Communication (BUCO) in the USC Marshall School of Business invites applications for one or more full-time positions as Assistant or Associate Professor of Clinical Business Communication (non-tenure-track, rank dependent on experience and qualifications), beginning in Fall 2027. Appointment at the rank of Lecturer will also be considered where a candidate ’s qualifications make it appropriate.

BUCO is forward-thinking, collaborative, and good at fostering a culture of long-term careers.

Why BUCO

The Department of Business Communication is one of seven academic units at USC Marshall and the largest department of our kind in the United States at a top-tier university. BUCO faculty have historically received meaningful support for professional development, research, and student worker assistance.

People stay.Our current 15 full-time faculty have been with the program for an average of 17 years or more, ranging from about two to 30 years. Colleagues share materials, trade ideas, and invest in one another ’s growth.

The work.We teach undergraduate and graduate students to communicate as human leaders, pairing timeless skills in persuasion strategy, speaking, and business writing with fluency in AI and the hyperconnected realities of modern business. Our courses develop the durable human capabilities at the heart of Marshall ’s mission: clear thinking, effective and ethical writing and speaking, and purpose-driven leadership communication.

Responsibilities

• Teach core courses in business and management communication: BUAD 302 (Communication Strategy in Business) and WRIT 340 (Advanced Writing for Business) for undergraduates, and GSBA 523 (Communication for Management) at the graduate level.

• Mentor students and contribute to department and school service.

• Step up to lead department initiatives and new roles as they arise, working collaboratively with colleagues.

• Contribute to curriculum development in your area of expertise, including development of electives.

• Optionally, contribute to the research portfolio of the department and the school.

Areas of Interest

We welcome depth in one or more of these areas. As long as you can contribute to the core course mission, we welcome (and have) a range of backgrounds and emphases. No one candidate needs to cover them all:

• Artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction, and their implications for how business communication is produced, evaluated, and taught.

• Leadership communication, including executive presence, persuasion and argumentation, oral communication, internal communication, and communication through change.

• Written communication, including technical communication and communicating with data.

• Business development and outreach communication: pitching, persuasive proposals, and the client and partner relationships that grow an organization.

• Storytelling, entertainment, and social media, including narrative strategy, reputation, and communication on digital platforms.

• Intercultural and conflict communication, including communication across cultures, markets, and disagreement.

Strong teachers of core business communication without these specializations are equally encouraged to apply.

Multiple Paths into This Role

Our faculty arrived here by different routes, and the department is deliberately built that way.

If you are an accomplished practitioner considering a move into academia, we welcome your application. Candidates with some experience translating expertise to others, such as through teaching, corporate training, coaching, or public speaking, are especially encouraged to apply. The department also offers structured mentorship and instructional support to ease the transition.

If you come from a traditional academic pathway, we value depth of scholarly research, teaching excellence, as well as the many ways academics gain industry experience and exposure. Consulting, executive education, professional practice, and sustained work with organizations outside the university all count in your favor.

Scholarship, Professional Development, and Workload

Ongoing professional development and engagement with the scholarly and professional communities are central to this role, and the department has a history of supporting that work.

Published research is not a requirement of this position, and many full-time positions in the department do not carry a research component.

We also welcome candidates who want to contribute to the research of the department and the school. For those with a strong publishing record and an active pipeline, course relief and a workload profile that formally includes research may be considered.

Research in any managerial, professional, or business communication field is welcome, particularly on communication and technology (including AI), social and digital media, interpersonal and leadership communication, persuasion, organizational communication, or intercultural communication.

Understanding a Non-Tenure-Track Appointment at USC

This is a non-tenure-track position. Because that category means different things at different universities, here is what it means at USC Marshall.

First, a note on the title: at Marshall, “clinical” signals a practice-oriented faculty role centered on teaching, not a medical or skills-lab role.

USC ’s research-, teaching-, practitioner-, and clinical-track faculty, known collectively as RTPC faculty, make up more than 40% of Marshall ’s full-time faculty. RTPC faculty:

• participate in faculty governance at the school and University level.

• receive the same fringe benefits as tenured and tenure-track faculty.

• have the same academic freedom as all USC faculty, in teaching and research.

• hold renewable appointments, with established procedures for reappointment and promotion.

• are eligible for administrative appointments, which may carry course release and/or additional pay.

• may volunteer for paid summer teaching and overloads.

RTPC appointments do not lead to consideration for tenure.

Preferred Qualifications

• A Ph.D. in communication, business, or a related field.

• Background experience in business and an understanding of today ’s global business environment.

• Demonstrated teaching effectiveness, or clear evidence of the potential to teach effectively.

• Demonstrated collaborative leadership, or clear potential for it.

• Comfort with online instruction and classroom technology.

Candidates with a master’s degree in a relevant field and a compelling record of professional experience and expertise are also encouraged to apply.

Application Instructions

Apply online through USC ’s faculty application portal. Applications should include:

1. Cover letter

2. Curriculum vitae or resume

3. Statement of teaching philosophy

4. Evidence of teaching effectiveness

5. Names and email addresses for three references

Candidates with an active research agenda may also submit research materials, described below.

Your Cover Letter and CV

In addition to sharing what you think is most important for us to know about you as a candidate, please use your cover letter, CV, or both to highlight two things:

• Subject matter expertise. Show us that you know the material you would teach. Industry experience and research are the most direct ways to do that, but not the only ones.

• Collaborative leadership. We are looking for a colleague who steps up when new projects or roles come along and brings others with them. Point us to leadership experience or potential, such as initiatives you started or led, teams or committees you guided, or responsibilities you took on beyond your job description.

Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness

There is no required format, and the strongest evidence looks different depending on where you are coming from. The goal is to provide us evidence that you have experience in, success with, and a mind for creating sustained teaching experiences:

• If you have taught your own courses: we would expect details like complete course evaluation reports from the last two years, including student comments (full reports, not summaries), plus sample syllabi and assignments.

• If you have been a teaching assistant: we would expect details like the sections you led, the materials you designed, and any evaluations or feedback from those sections.

• If you come from industry: we would expect details like workshops or training programs you designed and led, participant feedback or survey results, and training materials you authored.

If your strongest evidence is not on this list, send us that evidence anyway and tell us what it shows.

Research Materials (Optional)

If you have an active research agenda, include a short research statement covering your publications from the last three years, your current working papers, and your pipeline for the next three years. Copies of recent work are welcome.

Timeline

For full consideration, apply by December 7, 2026. That is, the search committee begins its first full review of applications that week. We expect a likely second review in early January and will keep reviewing periodically until all positions are filled, at which point this posting will come down. If you are seeing this after December 7, please still apply. Initial interviews will be conducted online, with campus visits expected to follow.

Questions about the position or the status of the search are welcome. Please send them to Department Operations Manager Angie Sabido-Wood and Administrative Analyst Quanda Graves, at BUCO@marshall.usc.edu.

Salary and Compensation

The annual base salary range for this position is $92,235 - $198,138, reflecting core salary for a nine-month academic-year appointment.

Additional compensation may be available through summer teaching, fall or spring overloads, and administrative appointments. These opportunities vary with departmental need, are not guaranteed, and are separate from the base salary range.

When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate ’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Beyond Base Salary

The salary range above is one part of what this position offers. It also comes with:

• A nine-month appointment. Base salary covers the academic year, leaving summers free for scholarship, consulting, or summer teaching.

• Tuition benefits for eligible family members, including undergraduate tuition at USC for dependent children and a competitive tuition exchange program with hundreds of other colleges and universities.

• Room to keep your practice active. Outside consulting is permitted within university guidelines.

• Comprehensive health, retirement, and wellness benefits, including discounted access to campus fitness and recreation facilities.

• Full access to the USC Libraries and their millions of print and electronic volumes.

• Los Angeles at your doorstep, with a business economy spanning entertainment, media, technology, trade, and health care, and the Trojan alumni network close at hand for guest speakers, student client projects, and program collaboration.

• A campus community with Trojan athletics, performances, and public lectures.

Details on all additional benefits and limits thereof are available upon request and/or provided at the time of offer.

About USC and USC Marshall

USC Marshall is renowned for its high-ranking undergraduate, graduate, international, online, and executive education programs, an exceptional faculty engaged in leading-edge research and teaching, a diverse and talented student body, and a commitment to technological advancement. Marshall faculty are a collaborative group of scholars who value diverse pedagogical, curricular, and methodological approaches.

Founded in 1880, the University of Southern California is located in the heart of Los Angeles and is the largest private employer in the city. As an employee of USC, you will be part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family.”

For more information, please visit http://www.marshall.usc.edu.

Equal Opportunity and Fair Chance

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law.

USC will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in undue hardship. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.

.