Assistant or Associate Professor of Arts Education

Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture (Aalto ARTS) ranks among global leaders in higher education in design, fashion, games, media, architecture, film, art education. We also produce world-class research in art education, design and design thinking, digital media and visual culture, urban planning and architecture. Our graduates are innovators in and beyond their fields, drawing from over a century of applied arts tradition, a humane and forward-looking approach, and the latest technologies.

The Department of Art and Media at Aalto University invites applications for the position of:

Assistant or Associate Professor, Arts Education
The successful candidate will be appointed for an Assistant or Associate Professor position in the Aalto University tenure track system. The position will begin in August 2025 or as agreed.

The department of Art and Media at Aalto University is internationally recognised for its innovative and interdisciplinary high-quality artistic outputs, media productions and art pedagogical activities, scholarship, and research. There is a strong focus on research in contemporary art, media, and arts education and pedagogy in a broad cultural and societal context in collaboration with sciences, digital technologies and business. To maintain its leadership in these areas, Aalto School of Arts, Design and Architecture (ARTS)  has opened a call to find a tenure track or tenured professor in arts education, whose task is to develop research and teaching with high and broad societal impact.  

The position is located in the Department of Art and Media with degree programs and doctoral education in the following areas: Art Education; Visual Communication Design; Visual Cultures, Curating and Contemporary Art; Game Design and Development; Photography; Sound in New Media, and New Media. In addition, we have a Bachelor’s programme in Design and Media shared with the Design department and, a Nordic Master in Visual Studies and Art Education (NM NoVA) double degree programme with Aalborg University (Denmark), Erasmus Mundus programme Replay and a unit in Transdisciplinary Art Studies. Education in the Department of Art and Media is provided in English, Finnish and Swedish. The arts educational scholarship in the department is active beyond these programs and follows closely the contemporary national and international developments. 

Role and requirements
The emphasis of the professorship is in the broad and interdisciplinary research and development of arts education nationally with international collaborations. Aalto ARTS and the Department of Art and Media has a leadership role in this development, therefore profiling this professorship for advancing research and societal impact in/through education in the arts, and connecting arts education to other fields such as science, media, or technology.

The Assistant/Associate Professor of Arts Education is expected to be an exceptional pedagogue, researcher and leader familiar with the Finnish, Nordic and international contexts of contemporary arts education and its emerging interdisciplinary dimensions.

The professor will bring their particular expertise to the vibrant community of the Department of Art and Media. The professor is expected to help develop a vision for innovative BA, MA and doctoral education, and guide and strengthen existing research practices at all levels. The position requires active participation in service to the Aalto University community. Experiences or a plan to assume leadership positions in national/international research and professional oragnizations is also part of this professorship. Of particular importance is commitment and focus on societal interactions as well as national and international collaborations.

As an Assistant or Associate Professor, the chosen candidate is expected to carry out and supervise research; to educate students and to participate in curriculum development and lifewide-learning education initiatives. They are expected to introduce students to the complex and versatile relations between arts and pedagogy and support them in advancing the related fields and their interdisciplinary relations. In all levels of the tenure track system, the professor is expected to teach at the doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s level and to exhibit academic leadership.

For more information about the position, please see website for job here.