Position Summary

The Department of Advertising + Public Relations in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University invites applications for a tenure-system assistant professor position in Public Relations or Advertising. We seek a scholar whose research either complements existing areas of departmental expertise or brings new perspectives and innovative directions to our program. 

Qualified applicants should have a Ph.D. in Communication, Mass Communication, Mass Media, Information and Media, Advertising, Public Relations, Strategic Communication, or a related field. In addition, applicants should demonstrate strong qualitative or quantitative methodological expertise and possess a clearly defined, active research trajectory that reflects a consistent, empirical approach to studying communication in areas relevant to public relations. Applicants should also display evidence of, or potential for external funding; the ability to teach core and elective courses in public relations; and a commitment to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.

Ideally, candidates will have a research focus that complements and strengthens the department’s existing expertise in psychological, social, and cultural approaches to public relations. However, we also welcome applicants whose innovative research expands the department’s scholarly reach and opens new avenues for inquiry in advertising and public relations. We also encourage applications from scholars whose work explores the intersection of health communication and public relations, including its implications for communication strategies, stakeholder relationships, and media effects.

Example areas of existing expertise include (in alphabetical order):
Advocacy and Activism Communication; Corporate Social Responsibility / Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG); Crisis Communication; Inclusive Excellence in Communication; Digital and Social Media Strategy; Environmental Communication; Ethics; Health Communication; Issue Advocacy; International and Multicultural Communication; Message Processes and Effects; Misinformation and Disinformation; Political Communication; Public Relations (including measurement and evaluation); Public Relations and Advertising History; Science Communication; Strategic Communication.

Candidates will be evaluated based on the minimum requirements and desired qualifications, using a holistic review approach across different stages of the candidate review process.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Doctorate -Mass Communication, Communication, Information and Media, Public Relations, Strategic Communication or related field.

Minimum Requirements

• Ph.D. in Mass Communication, Communication, Information and Media, Public Relations, Strategic Communication or related field.
• Solid expertise and active research program with a well-defined empirical approach to studying communication in areas relevant to public relations.
• Evidence of, or potential for external funding.
• Ability to teach core and elective courses in public relations.
• Commitment to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.

Desired Qualifications

Research that complements and strengthens the department’s existing expertise in psychological, social, and cultural approaches to public relations. See above for desired areas of research.

• Evidence of, or potential for a national/international reputation
• Industry experience
• Experience teaching across platforms and mentoring graduate students
• Experience in entrepreneurship
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Outreach and engagement in local communities

Required Application Materials

Applicants should submit electronically:

• A cover letter of no more than five pages summarizing qualifications for the position, including a description of research agenda and teaching philosophy.
• A curriculum vitae.
• The names and contact information of three references.

Special Instructions

To apply, please refer to posting #1056502 and complete an electronic submission at the Michigan State University Employment Opportunities website https://careers.msu.edu/. Please direct inquiries to the chair of the search committee, Juan Mundel (mundelju@msu.edu). The search committee will begin its evaluation of applicants Oct. 16, 2025. 

Review of Applications Begins On

10/16/2025

Website

https://comartsci.msu.edu/departments/advertising-public-relations

Department Statement

The Michigan State University Department of Advertising and Public Relations (ADPR) is a leader in education, research, and outreach. For more than 60 years, ADPR has set the global pace in research excellence and achievement while maintaining an award-winning undergraduate program; these remain the Department’s core values. ADPR comprises tenure stream and fixed-term (professors of practice) faculty who continue to re-envision the worlds of advertising research, education, and practice. Our faculty have diverse research and teaching interests, including AI/big data; public relations; CSR; digital strategy; health, science, and the environment; social impact; political communication; advertising and media psychology; and analytics, among others. 

The Department is home to nearly 2,000 undergraduate students in three majors (B.S. in Advertising Management, B.A. in Advertising Creative, and B.A. in Public Relations), 20 M.A. in Advertising and Public Relations students, and 20 doctoral students, part of the joint Ph.D. program in Information and Media. The Department has recently launched a student-led and run advertising agency, 42pointSeven.

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

About Michigan State University

Spartans work every day to advance the common good in uncommon ways.Together, we tackle some of the world?s toughest problems to find solutions that make life better?from alternative energy to better food safety to breakthrough medical and environmental applications achieved through rare isotope research.We teach. We explore and we discover. We collaborate and lead. We innovate, inspire, and empower. We achieve our potential and create circumstances that help our students and others achieve theirs.We're good at it, and we've been at it for more than 150 years.The nation?s pioneer land-grant university, MSU began as a bold experiment that democratized higher education and helped bring science and innovation into everyday life. The revolutionary concept became a model for the nation.Today, MSU is one of the top research universities in the world?on one of the biggest, greenest campuses in the nation. Home to nationally ranked and recognized academic, residential college, and service-learning programs, we?re a diverse community of dedicated students and scholars, athletes and artists, scientists and leaders.In ways both practical and profound, we work to create a stronger, more sustainable, and more hopeful future for all.

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