Academic Professional Track (Non-Tenure): Associate Professor of the Practice or Professor of the Practice and Department Head

The Department of Maritime Transportation in the College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies at Texas A&M University located on the Galveston Campus is seeking an experienced and visionary department head with demonstrated academic leadership and scholarship applicable to marine transportation. We invite applications for a full-time, non-tenure track position with an 11-month academic appointment beginning Fall 2026. Applicants will be considered for the faculty title of Professor of the Practice and Department Head. However, exceptional candidates at the rank of Associate Professor of the Practice will also be considered depending on qualifications. The appointment as Department Head is initially a five-year term with the potential for an additional term.

We seek an individual who is nationally and/or internationally recognized in marine transportation and who will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to develop a clear vision of how to meet the maritime educational needs of the nation. The incumbent will have experience in the shared governance approach of academic institutions and will support and foster a climate in which all members can thrive. The individual will serve as the chief academic, fiscal development, and administrative officer for the department. Department heads are expected to contribute to the mission of teaching with a teaching assignment of 1 course per semester.

The Department of Maritime Transportation’s mission is to provide students with a solid academic foundation on which to build a leadership career in the maritime sector. Those who successfully complete the program will earn a Bachelor of Science degree and will qualify to take the U.S. Coast Guard license examination for licensing as a Third Mate for any gross tonnage upon oceans, steam, or motor vessels. Cadets are also provided with solid fundamentals in business topics related to the maritime industry, ashore and at sea. To learn more, visit marine.tamu.edu/academics/maritime-transportation.

Texas A&M University at Galveston is the dedicated marine and maritime branch campus of Texas A&M University. The campus houses several institutions that are critical contributors to Texas A&M’s land-, sea-, and space-grant mission and drive the development of the blue economy on the Gulf Coast through education, innovation, scholarship and research.

Home to the Texas A&M College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies (marine.tamu.edu), students can earn undergraduate and graduate degrees in marine sciences, business, blue humanities, marine engineering and maritime transportation. Students may also pursue select Galveston-specific Texas A&M College of Engineering degrees, including computer science, ocean engineering and interdisciplinary engineering.

Texas A&M-Galveston is also home to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, one of six state maritime academies in the U.S. and the only one embedded within a Tier I research institution. Offering hands-on training to over 400 cadets annually, the academy prepares students to earn a U.S. Coast Guard License and serve as maritime professionals, afloat and ashore, or enter military service upon graduation.

Ideally situated in Galveston Bay, the island campus is surrounded by marine life, estuarine and ocean ecosystems, and one of the largest maritime industrial hubs in the world, allowing Galveston Aggies to live, learn and work in the heart of the industries they will soon serve. Whether their careers take them shoreside or on the water, Aggies are ready for anything above, on and below the waves.

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environments for all visitors, students, faculty, and staff, which is vital to accomplishing our mission and living our core values.

Required Qualifications:

·         A master’s degree.

·         Currently holds a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential as an unlimited deck officer of Master.

·         Been certified in Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW), requisite for a deck officer of the above rank. 

The Department of Marine Transportation is unique, and its department head requires these additional qualities.

·         Leadership experience in an administrative position in the field of maritime transportation.

·         Exceptional communication, management, and logistics skills.

·         Have administrative and budget management experience.

·         Keep the content and structure of the curriculum current with changes in national and international laws, rules, and regulations.

·         Be knowledgeable of the subject matter covered in Marine Transportation courses.

·         Be familiar with the terminology used in the marine industry.

·         Be knowledgeable of the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD), Memorandum of Agreement with SMAs, the USCG/Maritime Academy Standard Operating Procedures, the State Maritime Academy USCG Program approvals, and the requisite Code of Federal Regulations and International Maritime Organization (IMO) STCW standards.

Preferred Qualifications

·         A Doctorate degree.

·         A maritime academy graduate.

·         A minimum of 365 days of sailing experience in a vessel in blue water trade at the level of USCG Merchant Mariner Credential as an unlimited deck officer of Master.

·         A minimum of ten years of teaching experience for a full professor of the practice and five years of teaching experience for an exceptional candidate for an associate professor of the practice. Applicants with less teaching experience but more sailing experience as a Master will be considered. 

Applicants must submit electronic PDF copies of 1) cover letter, 2) curriculum vitae, 3) a personal statement to include philosophy and plans for teaching and service, 4) a department head vision statement that addresses your vision for Maritime Transportation education and the profession, leadership philosophy, and administrative experience, and 5) names and contact information of three (3) professional references by applying online at: apply.interfolio.com/178230.

Should you have questions regarding the position, please contact Dr. Amulya Gurtu, Search Committee Chair, at amulya.gurtu@tamu.edu. Review of applications will begin January 15, 2026 and the position will remain open until filled.