Adjunct Assistant Professor of Interactive Media & Games

The Interactive Media & Games Division within USC's School of Cinematic Arts is seeking an adjunct faculty member in the field of Interactive Media and Games with a specialty in Game Art Development. Ideally the candidate has used Unreal and/or Unity in the development of video game art creation and in-engine deployment.

We are looking for a dynamic and experienced working professional to teach and mentor undergraduate Game Art (GART) students. Our program is a vibrant and exciting community of artists, designers, scholars and researchers, committed to the advancement of the digital arts, and it is situated within the larger School for Cinematic Arts, dedicated to the craft of storytelling and user experience from diverse perspectives, and working collaboratively with the TAC program in the Viterbi School of Engineering.

CTIN 498 is the Game Art Capstone course, held in the Junior/Senior year, showcasing an individual student project. Its purpose is to prepare the student for a career in their chosen concentration within the GART BFA program. Unlike the AGP courses, which are designed as group/team projects showing the students ability function in a multi-disciplined team context, the Game Art Capstone project is conceived, proposed and developed by the individual student and becomes an integral part of their portfolio, in support of obtaining a position in game development matching their individual interest and capabilities.

The ideal faculty candidate leads or has led art teams as a Lead Artist, Art Director, or as a high level individual contributor with extensive development experience in content creation and animation in the Unreal and/or Unity game engines. This faculty has a deep seated desire to pass their skills and experience to the next generation of student artists. Ideally this candidate has also worked in one or more gaming genres such as Online, PC, Console and Mobile.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's Degree (BFA)

Minimum Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Game Art development

• Demonstrated professional experience using Unreal and/or Unity game engines.

• Proficiency with technical art and animation tools and process in order to effectively guide the student in the artistic and technical aspects of their chosen capstone project.

• Strong understanding of 2D and 3D content tools, game engine systems such as:

  • Rendering pipelines

  • Physics simulation

  • Procedural VFX systems

  • Atmosphere and Lighting direction

  • Concept development

  • Cinematic Storytelling

  • In Engine and Animation systems and control rigs

• Ability to explain complex systems and development pipelines in a classroom setting.

• An online portfolio of shipped projects, demos, showcasing their abilities

• Adoption of emerging technologies: AI, online image manipulation toolsets.

• Excellent communication skills and a commitment to teaching and mentorship

• Ability to provide 1:1 and group mentoring

Preferred Education:Master's Degree (MFA)

Preferred Experience:

• Knowledge of emerging technology tools and processes

• Familiarity with Git, Perforce, or other version control tools

• Experience in virtual production workflows (e.g., motion capture, LED volume, sequencer)

• Past teaching experience or curriculum development in higher education

• Industry certifications in Unreal Engine or related disciplines (Epic Developer, Authorized Instructor, etc.)

USC reserves the 'Adjunct' appointment for faculty teaching less than full-time at USC who are employed full-time in a primary profession or career elsewhere. Adjunct faculty typically teach only one course per year but, in exceptional cases, may teach one course per semester, if approved by the dean.

The core salary range for this position is $32- $38 per hour. This is an adjunct 25% FTE position.

When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, as well as external market and organizational considerations.