Position Description

Duke University

Sanford School of Public Policy

Adjunct Instructor Positions in Sanford Professional Master’s Programs and Graduate Electives

Overview

With top-ranked graduate degree programs, the Sanford School of Public Policy aspires to be a leading school of public policy for the 21st Century and to be recognized in the region, in the nation, and throughout the world as a leader in the policy field. Sanford’s vision for what it means to be a great public policy school derives from its core values and from its mission statement: “The Duke Sanford School of Public Policy mission is to improve lives by researching the most pressing policy issues and preparing students for lives of leadership, civic engagement and public service.” As such, the Sanford School is committed to research that matters, teaching that empowers and inspires, deep engagement with the policy world, and building a diverse and inclusive community.  

Most professional degrees are singularly focused on a discipline: i.e., business, law, or engineering. Sanford offers two professional master’s degrees that are intentionally interdisciplinary: the MPP degree provides preparation for policy-related careers in government, nonprofits, and corporations, mainly focused on early career applicants. The MIDP program is focused on training mid-career development practitioners for career advancement in international development policy. Both programs prepare students to be leaders and problem-solvers in a world that requires solid policy formulation and evaluation skills across a multitude of pressing issues, with a foundation of quantitative training, familiarity with frameworks of policy analysis, understanding of policy’s political context, and a commitment to ethical norms. Sanford also offers an interdisciplinary undergraduate major in public policy that emphasizes similar skills and competencies.

Adjunct Instructor Positions

The Sanford School of Public Policy is seeking applicants for adjunct instructor positions to teach graduate elective courses in the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and the Master of International Development Policy (MIDP) programs beginning in the Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 semesters. These non-regular-rank, non-tenure-track positions are intended to bring qualified practitioners into the Sanford graduate and undergraduate classrooms to provide students with knowledge about practical applications of policy and to build students’ skills in applying knowledge to real-world circumstances. Candidates must have a PhD, J.D., or other terminal degree in their academic discipline to be able to teach a graduate-level course. Candidates with an MA plus 20 years of relevant experience will also be considered. Specifically, candidates should have experience within one or more of the topic areas listed below. Preferred candidates will have university teaching experience, a strong commitment to working with students in the classroom and on projects, and a high level of personal motivation and responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the learning environment and process. (Note: For those with strong, relevant policy practice backgrounds, but little teaching experience, we offer resources to assist with preparing your course and learning how to teach effectively.)

Preferred topic areas of interest:

• Public Budgeting

• Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Development

• Evaluation of Public Expenditures

• Data Visualization

• Lobbying and Advocacy

• Public Private Partnerships

• Disaster Response and Risk Management

• Teach half-semester or full-semester course(s)

• Prepare a syllabus that includes course objectives, readings, and assignments

• Grade assignments and provide written and verbal feedback on a timely basis

• Respond to student questions and issues related to the class; hold office hours\Distribute required course evaluations to students at the end of the semester

• Provide final course grades within the University required timeframe

• Use Duke University email address for course/Duke related correspondence

• Follow Duke University parking regulations

• Abide by Duke professional standards, including Duke's Harassment Policies and the Consensual Relationship Policy

• Protect the confidentiality, privacy, and security of student, staff, business, and other confidential, sensitive, electronic or proprietary information of Duke University from any source and in any form (spoken, paper, electronic, etc.) that is created, accessed, used, or disclosed by/to you