Program Associate for Doctoral Programs

Disclaimer: Perks and Benefit eligibility is based on Part-Time or Full-Time Employment status. Eligibility and Employer Sponsored Plans can be found within each of the links offered. Essential Job Duties The University Program Associate manages the comprehensive student lifecycle for the Doctoral Programs (PhD and DDes) in the College of Design, providing expert administrative support from recruitment through graduation. Serving as the primary liaison between the Graduate School and program, this role oversees admissions compliance, degree milestone tracking, and GSSP contract administration. By coordinating fiscal operations, instructional scheduling, and marquee program events, the Coordinator ensures seamless operational success and policy alignment for both graduate and doctoral students and the college community.

Student & Faculty Services

• Advise doctoral students (DDes and Ph.D.) on course planning, registration, and program requirements.
• Oversee program communications, including listserv management and timely updates on enrollment, tuition, events and key deadlines.
• Track student progress and milestones; coordinate with Director of Graduate Programs (DGPs) and the Graduate School; monitor exams, electronic theses and dissertations (ETD) deadlines, and degree audits to ensure compliance.
• Manage the (student/applicant) application lifecycle, including international requirements (English proficiency), faculty reviews, and enrollment monitoring.

Program & Event Coordination

• Plan, schedule, and execute major graduate and doctoral program events, including Immersion Week, Symposium, defenses, forums, and professional development activities. Manage all logistics to ensure seamless event delivery.
• Coordinate and manage workshop logistics, guest speakers, and provide virtual event technical support.
• Oversee communications, registration, and logisitics for co-sponsored lectures and student-focused events.

Administration & Technology

• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records for all active students and faculty.
• Collaborate with the Finance team and Scheduling Officer on course scheduling, instructional planning, and related administrative tasks.
• Maintain and update program websites, internal resources (Moodle), and handbooks, and stay current with university tech platforms (Google Drive, Panopto, WolfWare).
• Provide administrative support for faculty meetings, including scheduling, documenting, and distributing minutes, and maintaining faculty documentation.

Budget, Finance & HR

• Support budget tracking, purchasing, and assist with HR tasks as needed.
• Reconcile PCards, oversee vendor payments, contracts, and honoraria, and manage purchasing for supplies and student association activities.
• Administer fellowships, travel awards, and honoraria, ensuring timely processing and compliance with program policies.
• Assist leadership on assistantship appointments, faculty buyouts and hiring processes, coordinate doctoral contracts with HR and Budget Office, and verify student eligibility for assistantships (TA/RA).
• Collaborate with the Budget Office and Department Head’s suite to manage financial processes, budget tracking, and reporting.

Assessment & Reporting

• Collect and manage program data (student milestones, publications, events).
• Support university reporting and develop assessment visuals; analyze and report on admissions, retention, and graduation data; communicate policy updates to the college.

Other Responsibilities

• Other responsibilities may be assigned as needed for the operation of the office.

Minimum Experience/Education Bachelor’s degree; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions. Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of graduate academic policies, admissions compliance, and degree milestone tracking from enrollment through graduation.
• Proficiency in managing student contracts, assistantship eligibility, and departmental financial processes like p-card purchasing and travel awards.
• Professional experience in graduate or undergraduate student services.
• Proficiency with university-level systems such as SIS, GARS, and Apply Yourself.
• Experience utilizing advanced visual or web-based software, including WordPress, InDesign, or comparable tools.

Required License or Certification

• N/A

Valid NC Driver’s License required No Commercial Driver’s License Required? No Recruitment Dates and Special Instructions, 3. * Please select the response below that best describes your experience/education for the University Program Associate position.

• High school diploma/GED and at least 4 years of related experience
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate in any field
• Combination of post-high school education and experience in a related area to equal at least 4 years (ex: Associate’s degree and 2 years of experience)
• Did not complete high school but have a combination of high school education and related experience to equal at least 8 years (ex. 1 year of high school and 7 years of experience)

Department College of Design About the Department The College of Design offers comprehensive undergraduate and graduate study in architecture, art + design, graphic design, industrial design, and graduate studies in landscape architecture, through a range of degree programs including two doctoral degree programs in Design-the PhD and the Doctor of Design. Administratively, the College of Design’s academic units are served by four centralized support centers: Finance and Administration; Student and Academic Services; Academic Support; and External Relations. Wolfpack Perks and Benefits As a Pack member, you belong here, and can enjoy exclusive perks designed to enhance your personal and professional well-being. As you consider this opportunity, we encourage you to review our Employee Value Proposition and learn more about what makes NC State the best place to learn and work for everyone. What we offer, NC State University participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

1. • How did you learn of this opportunity? + NCSU Website + Job Alert (automated email from our system) + NCSU Executive Search Services + Monster.com + CareerBuilder.com + InsideHigherEd.com + HigherEdJobs.com + Other Online Job Board + Carolina Job Finder / Employment Guide + Job / Career Fair + The Chronicle of Higher Education + Professional Journal + Print Advertisement (Newspaper / Periodical) + Radio / Television Advertisement + Professional Organization + Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) + Direct Contact from NCSU HR Representative / Recruiter + NCSU Employee Referral + Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Other) + Other
2. If you learned about this vacancy from “other source” or “other website”, please provide the source. (Open Ended Question)