University of Southern California

Sol Price School of Public Policy

Adjunct Instructor of Statistics for Policy, Planning, and Development

Department of Public Policy

The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy invites applicants for an adjunct faculty position to teach in the area of statistics for policy, planning, and development. The successful candidate should possess a Ph.D. in statistics, economics, public policy, or a related field; a Master’s degree may be acceptable with appropriate experience. The candidate will be able to teach the undergraduate course PPD 303 Statistics for Policy, Planning, and Development (“Statistical applications applied to the real world; techniques including probability, sampling; hypothesis formation and testing; correlation, and linear regression”) in the Fall 2020 semester. Proficiency in use of Microsoft Excel for relevant statistical applications is required. Preference will be given to candidates with prior teaching experience and excellent teaching evaluations.

Adjunct instructor responsibilities include delivery of course content, scheduling office hours and being accessible to students as appropriate, and grading. Each instructor is expected to provide students with a syllabus outlining the course goals, schedule and all requirements for the course under the direction of the Department Chair.

Course Description

This course is an introduction to statistical methods. It will provide you with the analytical and quantitative skills to conduct applied statistical analysis. You will learn about the practical uses of statistics in social science, public policy, real estate, and business. You will be able to evaluate statistics presented in scholarly journals and prepare yourself for advanced statistical courses and future quantitative research. The course focuses on understanding the conditions under which various statistical techniques may be properly used as well as understanding and interpreting the results. Virtually all of the statistical analysis is done with Microsoft Excel. On examinations, some manual calculations using a calculator will be required. Homework will be assigned as needed to supplement each week’s lecture. At the end of this course, you will be familiar with several types of statistics and be able to interpret statistical findings. We will end the course by learning Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models.

About the Sol Price School of Public Policy: The mission of the Sol Price School of Public Policy is to improve the quality of life for people and their communities, here and abroad. We achieve this mission through education and research that promote innovative solutions to the most critical issues facing society, with a particular focus on governance, urban development, and social policy. The Price School offers Ph.D. programs in Public Policy and Management and Urban Planning; masters’ degrees in Public Administration, Public Policy, Urban Planning, Health Administration, Nonprofit Management and Leadership, and Real Estate Development; executive masters’ degrees; and three undergraduate degrees.  USC is one of the nation’s premiere research universities, and the Price School is a major contributor to the university’s reputation. Our school supports an array of thematic research centers with $35 million in active sponsored research, ranking third overall in funded research at USC on a per faculty basis. Much of the school’s research is conducted through its centers, institutes, and research groups.  For additional information, see our website: https://priceschool.usc.edu/

An Equal Opportunity Employer: USC is an equal-opportunity educator and employer, proudly pluralistic and firmly committed to providing equal opportunity for outstanding persons of every race, gender, creed and background. The University particularly encourages women, members of underrepresented groups, veterans and individuals with disabilities to apply. USC will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would result in undue hardship.

Apply for this Position: Applicants should submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and (if available) one or more sample syllabi and one or more sets of sample teaching evaluations.