Associate/Full Professor - Construction Management -

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

The College of Engineering (COE) at Western Carolina University (WCU) is growing!

The University has received substantial support from the North Carolina legislature to expand engineering to meet the rapidly growing needs of the region and state. Our engineering and construction management programs feature project-based learning embedded throughout the curricula, preparing our students for professional practice and advanced study. Industry engagement is a hallmark of our programs, and we pride ourselves on having faculty with significant industry experience. Our culture embraces faculty-student interaction through experiences such as undergraduate research. We are committed to regional economic development and changing the lives of our students and their families through a transformative experience at our main rural campus setting in the mountains of western North Carolina, and at sites in Asheville and across western NC. The college’s programs are instrumental to the economic vitality of the region and are advancing the university to be one of the nation’s premier regional comprehensive institutions. We are creating leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs with the foundation and skills needed for transformative careers in engineering and beyond.

The Department of Civil Engineering and Construction (CEC) invites applications for an Associate/Full Professor of Construction Management with an anticipated August 2027 start date. This is a nine (9) month, tenure-track position, with additional summer opportunities for research, teaching, and other professional endeavors. Successful candidates will be expected to teach at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, advise students, be involved in extra-curricular student engagement activities, develop a sustainable program of research and scholarship, and be engaged in university and professional service. Faculty pursue scholarship and research with external partners and with clients through our nationally recognized Rapid Center. Applied research that engages students, especially undergraduate students, is a hallmark of our program.

The Department of Civil Engineering and Construction houses on-campus undergraduate degree programs in Construction Management and Civil Engineering and an online non-thesis based graduate degree program in Construction Management. The College also has a Master of Engineering (MSE) and a Master of Engineering Technology (MSET) graduate program. Both the Construction Management and Civil Engineering programs are ABET accredited.

Successful candidates will be expected to support the University’s external engagement mission. Applicants are encouraged to visit the WCU website www.wcu.edu to learn more about WCU.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities Required for this Position

Candidates will be expected to teach across a broad range of construction management and engineering topics including, but not limited to construction materials and methods, estimating, scheduling, project management, construction codes and documents, sustainability, construction law, etc. Applicants must have demonstrated excellence in both teaching and scholarship based on the Boyer Model of Scholarship with a primary focus on supporting students in undergraduate research. Candidates must have a strong commitment to contribute to the intellectual and practical lives of students and other stakeholders of the Department, College, University, and Construction Industry.

Minimum Qualifications

• Possess an earned doctorate or equivalent terminal degree in construction management, construction engineering, civil engineering, architecture, architectural engineering, or a closely related discipline from an accredited institution.
• Rank of Full Professor with tenure at their current institution or a minimum of 5 years at the rank of Associate Professor with tenure at their current institution.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred candidates will have one or more of the following:

• Have a minimum of three (3) or more years of U.S. project-based construction industry experience.

• Upper-level management experience in the construction industry.

• Relevant professional registration and/or certifications (PE, CPC, PMP, PSP, etc.).

• Demonstrated national standing or recognition in the construction education profession.

Position Type

Permanent Full-Time

Number of Hours Per Week

Number of Months Per Year

9

Posting Text

Open Date

09/24/2026

Close Date

Open Until Filled

Yes

Special Instructions to Applicants

Application materials must be submitted online. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until a candidate has been selected for hire.

Please include the following:

• letter of application
• current CV
• statement of teaching and student engagement goals
• statement of research and scholarship goals
• list of three professional references with complete contact information
• unofficial transcripts showing degree conferral dates for all degrees at the master’s degree level and higher*.

For questions or additional information please contact Dr. Bruce Gehrig, Head of Department of Civil Engineering & Construction at [email protected]

• All applicants are required to submit an unofficial transcript of their highest attained degree, showing all completed coursework and the date the degree was conferred. The transcript must state Degree Awarded, Degree Conferred or a similar phrase. For candidates who are ABD, please submit your most recent doctoral program transcript along with your master’s degree transcript, if you hold such a degree. The master’s degree transcript must have a notation such as Degree Awarded, Degree Conferred or similar phrase, to verify it as your highest completed degree.

Background/E-Verify

Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks.

Western Carolina University uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify. Proper documentation of identity and employability are required at the time of employment.

Credential Verification

All new employees are required to have listed credentials/degrees verified within 30 days of employment. All new employees who will be teaching are required to provide official transcripts within 30 days of employment. Transcripts should be provided for the highest earned degree and/or the degree which is being used to satisfy credential/qualification requirements.

EOE

Western Carolina University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; ethnicity; religion; sex; pregnancy; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; national origin; age; disability; genetic information; political affiliation; National Guard or veteran status, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations, and policies, and the policies of The University of North Carolina. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations in the application and interview process please call (828) 227-7218 or email at [email protected].

University Safety

The Western Carolina University Annual Safety Report is available online at University Annual Safety Report or in hard-copy by request at the office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, 227 HFR Administration Building, Cullowhee, NC 28723 (828-227-7147) or the Office of University Police, 111 Camp Annex, Cullowhee, NC 28723 (828-227-7301). The report, required of all universities participating in Title IV student financial aid programs, discusses crime statistics, procedures for reporting suspicious or criminal activity, security, police authority, crime prevention strategies, university policies on substance abuse and sexual offenses, workplace violence and fire safety.