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Education Administrators, Postsecondary
Plan, direct, or coordinate student instruction, administration, and services, as well as other research and educational activities, at postsecondary institutions, including universities, colleges, and junior and community colleges.
Other titles employers use
Academic Affairs Vice President (Academic Affairs VP) · Academic Dean · Admissions Director · College President · Dean · Financial Aid Director · Institutional Research Director · Provost
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Design or use assessments to monitor student learning outcomes.
- Recruit, hire, train, and terminate departmental personnel.
- Direct, coordinate, and evaluate the activities of personnel, including support staff engaged in administering academic institutions, departments, or alumni organizations.
- Advise students on issues such as course selection, progress toward graduation, and career decisions.
- Plan, administer, and control budgets, maintain financial records, and produce financial reports.
- Formulate strategic plans for the institution.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to helping, persuading and organizing work.
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Monitoring
Subjects to know
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Customer and Personal Service
- Personnel and Human Resources
Useful strengths
- Written Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Written Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Oral Comprehension
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 2.5 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 2.4 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.8 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 1.7 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a master's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A master's degree 48%
- A doctorate or professional degree 44%
- A four-year degree 8%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Word processing software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Web page creation and editing software
- Presentation software
- Project management software
- Web platform development software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 18,000
- Job openings each year
- 1,260
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 7.1%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 18,000 | 1,260 | 7.1% |
| Texas | 15,830 | 1,130 | 9.2% |
| Florida | 13,060 | 950 | 11.9% |
| Illinois | 12,660 | 840 | 1.3% |
| Michigan | 6,500 | 440 | 3.2% |
| Maryland | 6,260 | 460 | 13.4% |
| North Carolina | 6,200 | 450 | 11.5% |
| Ohio | 5,870 | 390 | 1.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 5,660 | 380 | 1.8% |
| Arizona | 5,590 | 390 | 6.5% |
| Alabama | 4,990 | 350 | 7.1% |
| Indiana | 4,180 | 290 | 5.0% |
| Louisiana | 3,860 | 270 | 6.3% |
| Tennessee | 3,770 | 290 | 17.8% |
| New Jersey | 3,620 | 260 | 8.4% |
| South Carolina | 3,360 | 240 | 11.3% |
| Missouri | 3,330 | 230 | 3.7% |
| Massachusetts | 3,320 | 240 | 12.9% |
| Iowa | 3,220 | 230 | 9.5% |
| Washington | 3,150 | 270 | 13.3% |
| Virginia | 2,850 | 190 | 2.9% |
| Georgia | 2,770 | 200 | 6.9% |
| Utah | 2,690 | 210 | 24.5% |
| Colorado | 2,670 | 200 | 17.1% |
| Connecticut | 2,560 | 180 | 9.4% |
| Oklahoma | 2,530 | 170 | — |
| Mississippi | 2,200 | 150 | 7.3% |
| Wisconsin | 2,170 | 150 | 8.0% |
| Kansas | 1,700 | 120 | 4.9% |
| Nebraska | 1,700 | 120 | 3.7% |
| Nevada | 1,670 | 120 | 8.4% |
| Oregon | 1,640 | 110 | 6.5% |
| District of Columbia | 1,630 | 110 | 4.5% |
| Puerto Rico | 1,500 | 110 | 12.8% |
| Minnesota | 1,440 | 100 | 2.9% |
| Arkansas | 1,390 | 90 | 1.5% |
| Kentucky | 1,370 | 90 | 4.6% |
| West Virginia | 1,300 | 90 | 4.0% |
| New Mexico | 1,060 | 80 | 8.2% |
| Idaho | 1,020 | 70 | 12.1% |
| New Hampshire | 860 | 60 | 3.6% |
| Vermont | 780 | 50 | 2.6% |
| Rhode Island | 770 | 50 | 4.1% |
| Maine | 740 | 50 | −1.3% |
| North Dakota | 590 | 40 | −1.7% |
| Delaware | 530 | 40 | 15.2% |
| Montana | 380 | 30 | 8.6% |
| South Dakota | 230 | 20 | 9.5% |
| Alaska | 200 | 10 | 11.1% |
| Wyoming | 130 | 10 | 18.2% |
| Virgin Islands | 10 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Southern New Hampshire University
- Degrees each year
- 6,636
- Admit rate
- 96%
- Annual cost after aid
- $37,000
Western Governors University
- Degrees each year
- 3,621
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
California State University-Fullerton
- Degrees each year
- 2,134
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
San Diego State University
- Degrees each year
- 2,008
- Admit rate
- 34%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
San Jose State University
- Degrees each year
- 1,657
- Admit rate
- 80%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
University of Maryland Global Campus
- Degrees each year
- 1,656
- Admit rate
- Not reported
- Annual cost after aid
- —
Liberty University
- Degrees each year
- 1,585
- Admit rate
- 99%
- Annual cost after aid
- $27,000
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
- Degrees each year
- 1,523
- Admit rate
- 74%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Compare every college offering educational administration and supervision