Founded in 1856, University of Maryland, College Park is the state’s flagship institution. Our 1,250-acre College Park campus is just minutes away from Washington, D.C., and the nexus of the nation’s legislative, executive, and judicial centers of power. This unique proximity to business and technology leaders, federal departments and agencies, and a myriad of research entities, embassies, think tanks, cultural centers, and non-profit organizations is simply unparalleled. Synergistic opportunities for our faculty and students abound and are virtually limitless in the nation’s capital and surrounding areas. The University is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding and diverse faculty and staff that will enhance our stature of preeminence in our three missions of teaching, scholarship, and full engagement in our community, the state of Maryland, and in the world.

Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify someone from employment. Prior to any adverse decision, finalists have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding the background check.

The University reserves the right to rescind offers of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed.

Offers are contingent on providing proof of employment eligibility in the United States no more than 3 days after the initial start date. If this proof is not provided within this timeframe, the offer may be rescinded or employment terminated.

The University of Maryland School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) is searching for a tenure-track or tenured assistant or associate professor of costume design to begin August
2025. The faculty hired for this position will serve as the leading costume design instructor, mentor and advisor in the MFA in Design Program, a nationally prominent graduate training program. Candidates may also teach undergraduate courses and will contribute to program, school, college, and university governance.

We especially seek candidates whose research, teaching, and service have prepared them to contribute to diversity and inclusion. The successful candidate will have or show promise of a strong creative research record; demonstrated ability to achieve national and/or international prominence in their field; and ability to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in costume design for live performance. Successful candidates will be experienced designers with extensive knowledge of draping and costume crafts. The program might also be interested in bringing in an artist whose professional and pedagogical practice includes other design areas. The faculty
member’s creative activities should be related to the program’s curriculum; reflect a high standard of quality and competence; and be consistent with and support the mission and initiatives of the School and University.

Education:
MFA in Design or equivalent experience.

Experience:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

TDPS is nationally recognized as an innovator in performing arts education for the 21st century. Part of the College of Arts and Humanities, TDPS has approximately 200 undergraduate and 70 graduate students enrolled in its programs. The School offers separate BA programs in Dance and in Theatre, separate MFA programs in Dance and in Design, and an MA/PhD program in Performance Studies. TDPS faculty are professional artist/scholars whose numerous awards
include Tony, Bessie, Emmy, and Helen Hayes Awards, and prestigious national and international fellowships.

The School’s International Program for Creative Collaboration and Research (IPCCR), funded by the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation, provides TDPS students with an international perspective by offering grants for international research and creative projects to faculty and graduate students and operating the World Outreach classrooms. TDPS is also home to the externally funded Maya Brin Institute for New Performance, which supports projects exploring the intersection of performance and technology. Members of the faculty also work on collaborative projects with the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora; the Latin American Studies Center; the Center for the History of the New America; the Center for Research on Latino Educational Success; the Center for East Asian Studies; the Roshan Center for Persian Studies; and the Consortium on Race, Gender, and Ethnicity; the Brain and Behavior Institute; the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center; the DeVos Institute of Arts Management; and the campus-wide Arts for All Initiative.

The region is home to more than 80 professional performance venues, including Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Baltimore Center Stage, Dance Place, Washington National Opera, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington Ballet, Ford’s Theatre, Dance Exchange, Wolf Trap, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Folger Theatre, GALA Hispanic Theatre, Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre, Round House Theatre, and Olney Theatre Center, among many others. TDPS graduates are a major source of talent for the more than 130 professional companies that make up the Washington –Baltimore theatre and dance market. World-class research facilities of institutions such as the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Smithsonian Institutions, and Dumbarton Oaks are all within a short commute.

The University of Maryland, College Park, actively subscribes to a policy of equal employment opportunity, and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry or national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression. Women, historically underrepresented minorities, LGBTQ+, veterans, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Required application materials:

The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.