Adjunct Lecturer, Project Management (On-Campus, Fall '26)

Company Description

Columbia University has been a leader in higher education in the nation and around the world for more than 250 years. At the core of our wide range of academic inquiry is the commitment to attract and engage the best minds in pursuit of greater human understanding, pioneering new discoveries, and service to society. 

The School of Professional Studies at Columbia University offers innovative and rigorous programs that integrate knowledge across disciplinary boundaries, combine theory with practice, leverage the expertise of our students and faculty, and connect global constituencies. Through twenty professional master's degrees, courses for advancement and graduate school preparation, certificate programs, summer courses, high school programs, and a program for learning English as a second language, the School of Professional Studies transforms knowledge and understanding in service of the greater good.

Job Description

Columbia University School of Professional Studies seeks industry professionals for the role of adjunct Lecturer to develop and teach various in-person courses in the school’s new M.S. in Project Management program. The program equips individuals with the strategic, analytical, and leadership skills essential for a successful career managing complex projects across industries and borders.

The Project Management program’s curriculum can be found here. Candidates should indicate in a cover letter areas of subject matter expertise and which of the following five core courses they would be interested in or qualified to teach:

• Project Management Fundamentals - Core principles, frameworks, and methods for managing projects effectively

• Project Planning, Scheduling, and Control - Foundations of project planning, critical path, and performance monitoring

• Finance and Accounting for Managers - Financial principles applied to project management

• Leadership and Team Dynamics - Principles of leadership, collaboration, and high-performance team management

• Capstone - A real-world project-based capstone synthesizing learning across the curriculum

Responsibilities

• Lead in-person class lectures, instructional activities, and classroom discussions

• Evaluate student work and grade assignments

• Monitor student concerns and inquiries, and be the first point of contact for student questions

• Hold weekly office hours

• Prepare, maintain, and enhance the course in Canvas, Columbia University’s learning management system for onsite and online courses

• Part‐time Lecturers who are new to SPS must complete Canvas training (online learning management system)

• Attend Project Management faculty meetings

• If assigned to design the course, responsibilities also include:

  • Develop course objectives that align with program-wide learning outcomes

  • Create activity maps tying course activities to objectives, ensuring industry relevance

  • Draft a detailed syllabus (course description, schedule, grading rubric, and assessments) for review and approval by the Program Curriculum Committee and the Committee on Instruction (COI).

  • Collaborate with Instructional Design to develop course materials through a consultative process. This includes partnering on course development (aligning objectives, materials, and assessments), creating dynamic instructional media (videos, infographics, and interactive resources), maintaining established courses with updates and troubleshooting, and receiving just-in-time assistance for targeted needs. 

Serving as an adjunct Lecturer provides an outstanding opportunity to educate and mentor students in the field of project management as well as to form a rewarding professional relationship with Columbia University’s world-class faculty.

Qualifications

Columbia University SPS operates under a scholar-practitioner faculty model, which enables students to learn from faculty that have outstanding academic training as well as a record of accomplishment as practitioners in an applied industry setting.

• A master’s degree in accounting, architecture, business management, engineering, project management or other related disciplines

• At least 15 years of industry experience with a focus on project management and leadership in complex organizational environments

• Strong communication and problem solving skills and an ability to multi-task

Preferred Skills & Experience

• A terminal degree in one of the above mentioned disciplines

• 2+ years graduate-level university teaching experience

• Professional project management certifications (PMP, PRINCE2, etc.)

Additional Information

Compensation Range - $10,000 - $15,000 per semester-length course.

Review of applications begins immediately and will continue until positions are filled.

All applicants, please provide:

• A resume/CV inclusive of university teaching experience -- highlight teaching at the graduate level

• A cover letter indicating the Project Management courses that the applicant is interested in or qualified to teach and areas of subject matter expertise

• Evidence of teaching effectiveness (e.g., student evaluations of teaching, teaching observation summaries, etc.)

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran