Academic Coordinator - School of Journalism

Position overview

Salary range:
The UC academic salary scales set the minimum pay determined by step  the following table for the salary scale for this position: https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). The current full-time annual base salary range for the Academic Coordinator I position is $64,228 - $122,272. "Off‑scale" salaries, which yield compensation that is higher than the published system‑wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions.

Percent time: 100%

Anticipated start:
March 1, 2026

Position duration:
August 30, 2027

Open date:
January 6, 2026

Next review date:
Wednesday, Jan 21, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Apply by this date to ensure full consideration by the committee.

Final date:
Wednesday, Apr 1, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

The School of Journalism is recruiting for a Director of Special Academic Programs (Academic Coordinator I). This position will be responsible for coordinating the School's summer undergraduate minor, overseeing the undergraduate program overall, helping with coordination of the California Newsroom Fellowship program, and managing other special academic programs.

50% of this position will be dedicated to managing the Undergraduate Minor. The AC will work with the Undergraduate Advisor and Journalism Staff to manage the undergraduate minor program over Summer 2026 and Summer 2027. The AC will manage all of the academic administration for the program, which includes working with the Associate Dean to review applicants and participate in interviews;

helping to manage Academic Student Employees (ASEs); working with Summer Sessions to advertise classes and participate in workshops or other trainings; leading orientation and training for summer lecturers; and assisting summer lecturers with a variety of academic matters, including curriculum planning, evaluating exceptional student requests, training instructors on the Learning Management Software (known as bCourses), handling classroom incidents or referring to the appropriate campus departments, facilitating incomplete grades resolution, facilitating grade appeals process including informal resolution, and assisting with DSP exam proctoring.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Oversee the day-to-day management of the minor, including student enrollment, scholarship arrangements, and information dissemination.
• Serve as the primary liaison for curriculum planning, working with the executive and curriculum committees to ensure core and elective course availability.
• Lead program promotion, managing communications, and maintaining the website.

• Serve as the key lead for Summer Sessions, managing hiring, class coordination, and reporting.
• Collaborate closely with the Undergraduate Advisor, Journalism staff, AP Analyst, and Student Services team to meet hiring deadlines for instructors and Academic Student Employees (ASE).
• The AC will work through August 30, 2027 to see the completion of summer session appointments and help instructors with final grade submissions & final offboarding.

• Drive significant expansion of enrollment for the minor.
• Explore establishing the minor as a system-wide offering accessible to other UC students.
• Develop a professional pipeline, including pre-college course offerings for high school students.
• Work to establish a 4+1 BA/MJ degree to facilitate access to graduate-level Journalism education.
• Explore expanding the minor into a full undergraduate major.
• Curriculum & Content:
  Act as a crucial thought partner to continuously update the curriculum, ensuring it reflects new technologies and political realities within the rapidly evolving journalism industry.

• Help maintain and increase engagement with the teaching faculty, including Berkeley Senate professors and…