What are the responsibilities and job description for the Assistant Professor of Engineering Technologies and Applied Design, Tenure-Track position at Design Observer?
The Engineering Technologies and Applied Design (ETAD) department at Berea College is seeking a dynamic faculty member for a tenure-track position starting August 2027. While the specific area of expertise is open, candidates in Industrial Design, Manufacturing, and Material fields are encouraged to apply.
We are seeking an educator dedicated to a hands-on and project-based curriculum. The successful candidate will guide students through the complete design-prototype-test-production cycle from identifying project needs and research solutions to prototyping, testing, and fabricating finished products. Additionally, the candidate may coordinate with our department technician to instruct students in the safe and skilled operation of woodworking and/or metal processing tools using both automated and manual power equipment, including a range of industrial CNC machines.
Teaching Responsibilities
The ideal candidate will teach department core courses, electives, and contribute to Berea College’s general education program. Expected department courses may include:
Following long-standing tradition and practice at Berea College, this position includes responsibility for supervising, mentoring, and developing students in the College's integrated Work College Program. This supports student learning, career readiness, and the program's learning goals and outcomes. The Work College Program provides a developmental framework that guides student learning while creating a structured mentorship opportunity, with role-specific training that equips faculty and staff mentors to support student development. Faculty and staff mentors play an essential part in helping students connect their work-learning-service experiences with broader academic, professional, and personal development. For faculty, this aligns with Berea's tenure and promotion criteria. Our department actively collaborates with external partners to give students hands-on experience with outside clients. While not required, the successful candidate is strongly encouraged to integrate community partner projects into their courses.
Qualifications
A terminal degree in Industrial Design, Engineering/ Engineering Technology, Engineering/Technology Education, or other closely related fields is required.
Teaching experience and/or industry experience is also appreciated. Most importantly, given the nature of technology, colleagues are expected to participate in the continued development of content, curriculum, and pedagogy. Ideal candidates would embrace this practice through professional development and active participation in the evolving fields.
Application
Candidates should submit a cover letter, a current curriculum vitae, graduate transcripts, a teaching philosophy, research project/plan, design portfolio (if available) and contact information for three references to: https://tinyurl.com/4h4fksvc. Review of applications will begin November 1, 2026, and continue until the position is filled.
About Berea College
Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 44 states and U.S. territories and more than 60 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides every enrolled student with a fully funded degree that covers 100% of tuition, housing, food, supplies, and fees without loans, for all four years. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only 10 federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus, building professional skills in a real-world learning environment. Washington Monthly ranked Berea College the #1 Best College for your Tuition and Tax Dollars, 2025. Berea also ranks #1 in educational access by The New York Times, 2023 and #1 for lowest educational debt by U.S. News and World Report, 2025 and 2026. Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2026.
Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 17,000) lies 40 miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.
Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.
We are seeking an educator dedicated to a hands-on and project-based curriculum. The successful candidate will guide students through the complete design-prototype-test-production cycle from identifying project needs and research solutions to prototyping, testing, and fabricating finished products. Additionally, the candidate may coordinate with our department technician to instruct students in the safe and skilled operation of woodworking and/or metal processing tools using both automated and manual power equipment, including a range of industrial CNC machines.
Teaching Responsibilities
The ideal candidate will teach department core courses, electives, and contribute to Berea College’s general education program. Expected department courses may include:
- ETAD 140: Production in Woods
- ETAD 245: Material and Processing
- ETAD 275: Power and Energy
Following long-standing tradition and practice at Berea College, this position includes responsibility for supervising, mentoring, and developing students in the College's integrated Work College Program. This supports student learning, career readiness, and the program's learning goals and outcomes. The Work College Program provides a developmental framework that guides student learning while creating a structured mentorship opportunity, with role-specific training that equips faculty and staff mentors to support student development. Faculty and staff mentors play an essential part in helping students connect their work-learning-service experiences with broader academic, professional, and personal development. For faculty, this aligns with Berea's tenure and promotion criteria. Our department actively collaborates with external partners to give students hands-on experience with outside clients. While not required, the successful candidate is strongly encouraged to integrate community partner projects into their courses.
Qualifications
A terminal degree in Industrial Design, Engineering/ Engineering Technology, Engineering/Technology Education, or other closely related fields is required.
Teaching experience and/or industry experience is also appreciated. Most importantly, given the nature of technology, colleagues are expected to participate in the continued development of content, curriculum, and pedagogy. Ideal candidates would embrace this practice through professional development and active participation in the evolving fields.
Application
Candidates should submit a cover letter, a current curriculum vitae, graduate transcripts, a teaching philosophy, research project/plan, design portfolio (if available) and contact information for three references to: https://tinyurl.com/4h4fksvc. Review of applications will begin November 1, 2026, and continue until the position is filled.
About Berea College
Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 44 states and U.S. territories and more than 60 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides every enrolled student with a fully funded degree that covers 100% of tuition, housing, food, supplies, and fees without loans, for all four years. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only 10 federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus, building professional skills in a real-world learning environment. Washington Monthly ranked Berea College the #1 Best College for your Tuition and Tax Dollars, 2025. Berea also ranks #1 in educational access by The New York Times, 2023 and #1 for lowest educational debt by U.S. News and World Report, 2025 and 2026. Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2026.
Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 17,000) lies 40 miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.
Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.