After completing his Ph.D. in 1984, became Visiting Assistant Professor of Regional and Community Planning at
Kansas State University. In 1985, he joined the
University of New Orleans as assistant professor of urban and public affairs where, in 1986, he founded the Division of Urban Research and Policy Studies Research and was founding director of the university's undergraduate minor in urban studies and served as adjunct professor of social work at
Southern University at New Orleans. In 1987, Nelson joined the
Georgia Institute of Technology as Associate Professor of City Planning and in 1988 became jointly appointed as Associate Professor of Public Policy. In 1989, he founded the Graduate Certificate in Land Development. In 1991, Nelson founded the College of Architecture graduate co-op program. In 1992, he was promoted to Full Professor in the College of Architecture and the Ivan College of Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech. In 2002, as adjunct professor of law at
Georgia State University, Nelson co-founded a dual degree program between the Master of City and Regional Planning degree at Georgia Tech and the
Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at Georgia State University. In 2002, Nelson left Georgia Tech to join the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University as a Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning. There he founded the Urban Affairs and Planning Program at the Alexandria Center and served as its director until 2006 when he became the Co-Director of Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech. In 2005, he created the university's first graduate dual degree, called 'sequential degree', programs. He also served as the Founding Director of Planning Academy at Virginia Tech. Nelson left Virginia Tech in 2008 to join the
University of Utah as Presidential Professor of City and Metropolitan Planning. There he founded the Master of Real Estate Development program, the doctoral program in Metropolitan Planning, Policy and Design, and the Metropolitan Research Center. He also served as adjunct professor of finance in the
David Eccles School of Business. In 2014, he became Presidential Professor Emeritus at the University of Utah and was appointed Professor of Urban Planning and Real Estate Development at the
University of Arizona. From 2014 to 2016, he was the Associate Dean of Research and Discovery for the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture at Arizona. and the Arthur C. Nelson Fellowship in Urban Planning and Real Estate Development at the University of Arizona. == Research and work ==