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.
Also known as: Academic Affairs Dean, Academic Affairs Director, Academic Affairs Vice President (Academic Affairs VP), Academic Coordinator, Academic Dean, Academic Vice President (Academic VP), Administration Dean, Admissions Coordinator, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Slower than average)
What You'd Do
- Recruit, hire, train, and terminate departmental personnel.
- Plan, administer, and control budgets, maintain financial records, and produce financial reports.
- Represent institutions at community and campus events, in meetings with other institution personnel, and during accreditation processes.
- Participate in faculty and college committee activities.
- Provide assistance to faculty and staff in duties such as teaching classes, conducting orientation programs, issuing transcripts, and scheduling events.
- Establish operational policies and procedures and make any necessary modifications, based on analysis of operations, demographics, and other research information.
- Advise students on issues such as course selection, progress toward graduation, and career decisions.
- Direct, coordinate, and evaluate the activities of personnel, including support staff engaged in administering academic institutions, departments, or alumni organizations.
- Formulate strategic plans for the institution.
- Promote the university by participating in community, state, and national events or meetings, and by developing partnerships with industry and secondary education institutions.
- Design or use assessments to monitor student learning outcomes.
- Prepare reports on academic or institutional data.
- Confer with other academic staff to explain and formulate admission requirements and course credit policies.
- Appoint individuals to faculty positions, and evaluate their performance.
- Direct activities of administrative departments, such as admissions, registration, and career services.
- Develop curricula, and recommend curricula revisions and additions.
- Determine course schedules, and coordinate teaching assignments and room assignments to ensure optimum use of buildings and equipment.
- Consult with government regulatory and licensing agencies to ensure the institution's conformance with applicable standards.
- Teach courses within their department.
- Participate in student recruitment, selection, and admission, making admissions recommendations when required to do so.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.