Postsecondary Education Administrators : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Summary

Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and research at colleges and universities.

Quick Facts: Postsecondary Education Administrators
2010 Median Pay	$83,710 per year $40.24 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Master’s degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	1 to 5 years
On-the-job Training	None
Number of Jobs, 2010	146,200
Job Outlook, 2010-20	19% (About as fast as average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	27,800

What Postsecondary Education Administrators Do

Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and research at colleges and universities. Their job duties vary depending on the area of the college they manage, such as admissions, student life, or the office of the registrar.

Work Environment

Postsecondary education administrators work in colleges, universities, community colleges, and technical and trade schools. Most work full time.

How to Become a Postsecondary Education Administrator

Although a bachelor’s degree may be acceptable for some entry-level positions, a master’s or higher degree is often required. Employers often require candidates for some positions, particularly for registrars and academic deans to have some experience.

Pay

The median annual wage for postsecondary education administrators was $83,710 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of postsecondary education administrators is expected to grow by 19 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average. Expected growth is due to increases in enrollments.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of postsecondary education administrators with similar occupations.

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What Postsecondary Education Administrators Do About this section

Postsecondary education administrators assist students with a variety of tasks, such as registering for classes and completing admissions applications.

Duties

Postsecondary education administrators who work in admissions decide whether potential students should be admitted to the school. They typically do the following:

Determine how many students to admit to fill the available spaces
Prepare promotional materials, such as brochures and videos, about the school
Meet with prospective students to discuss the school and encourage them to apply
Review applications to determine if each potential student should be admitted
Analyze data about applicants and admitted students

Many admissions counselors are assigned a region of the country and travel to that region to speak to high school counselors and students.

In addition, they often work with the financial aid department, which helps students determine if they are able to afford tuition.

Postsecondary education administrators who work in the registrar’s office maintain student and course records. They typically do the following:

Schedule and register students for classes
Ensure that students meet graduation requirements
Plan commencement ceremonies
Prepare transcripts and diplomas for students
Produce data about students and classes

How registrars spend their time varies depending on the time of year. Before students register for classes, registrars must prepare schedules and course offerings. Then during registration and for the first few weeks of the semester, they help students sign up for, drop, and add courses. Toward the end of the semester, they plan graduation and ensure that students meet the requirements to graduate. Many of them need advanced computer skills to create and maintain databases.

Postsecondary education administrators who work in student affairs are responsible for a variety of nonacademic school functions, such as student athletics and activities. They typically do the following:

Advise students on topics such as housing issues, personal problems, or academics
Communicate with parents and families
Create and maintain student records
Create, support, and assess nonacademic programs for students
Schedule programs and services, such as athletic events or recreational activities

Postsecondary education administrators in student affairs can specialize in student activities, housing and residential life, or multicultural affairs. In student activities, education administrators plan events and advise student clubs and organizations. In housing and residential life, education administrators assign students rooms and roommates, ensure that residential facilities are well maintained, and train student staff, such as residential advisers. Education administrators who specialize in multicultural affairs plan events to celebrate different cultures and diverse backgrounds. Sometimes, they manage multicultural centers on campus.

Other postsecondary education administrators are provosts or academic deans. Provosts, also sometimes called chief academic officers, help college presidents develop academic policies, participate in making faculty appointments and tenure decisions, and manage budgets. Academic deans direct and coordinate the activities of the individual colleges or schools. For example, in a large university, there may be a dean who oversees the law school.

Education administrators have varying duties depending on the size of their college or university. Small schools often have smaller staffs who take on many different responsibilities, but larger schools may have different offices for each of these functions. For example, at a small college, the Office of Student Life may oversee student athletics and other activities, whereas a large university may have an Athletics Department.

Work Environment About this section

Postsecondary education administrators work in colleges, universities, community colleges, and technical and trade schools.

Postsecondary education administrators held about 146,200 jobs in 2010.

Postsecondary education administrators work in colleges, universities, community colleges, and technical and trade schools. Some work for public schools, and others work for private schools.

In 2010, 73 percent of postsecondary education administrators worked for colleges, universities and professional schools and 17 percent worked for junior colleges.

Work Schedules

Postsecondary education administrators generally work full time. Most work year-round, but some schools may reduce their hours during the summer.

How to Become a Postsecondary Education Administrator About this section

Postsecondary education administrators need to build good relationships with colleagues, students, and parents.

Education

Educational requirements vary for different positions. For entry-level positions, a bachelor’s degree may be sufficient. Degrees can be in a variety of disciplines, such as social work, accounting, or marketing.

For higher level positions, a master’s degree or doctorate is generally required. Provosts and deans often must have a Ph.D. Some provosts and deans begin their career as professors and later move into administration. These administrators have doctorates in the field in which they taught, such as English or chemistry. Other provosts and deans have a Ph.D. in higher education or a related field.

Work Experience

Employers often require candidates for some positions, particularly for registrars and academic deans, to have some experience. For other positions, such as those in admissions and student affairs, experience may or may not be necessary depending on the position.

Advancement

Education administrators with advanced degrees can be promoted to higher level positions within their department or the college. Some become college presidents. For more information about college presidents, see the profile on top executives.

Important Qualities

Computer skills. Registrars often need to be adept at working with computers so they can create and maintain databases and computer programs to manage student and school records.

Organizational skills. Regardless of their field, administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate the activities of their staff.

People skills. Postsecondary education administrators need to build good relationships with colleagues, students, and parents. Those in admissions and student affairs need to be outgoing so they can encourage students to apply to the school or participate in co-curricular activities.

Problem-solving skills. Administrators often need to respond to difficult situations, develop creative solutions to problems, and react calmly when problems arise.

Pay About this section

Postsecondary Education Administrators

Median annual wages, May 2010

Management Occupations: $91,440
Education Administrators, Postsecondary: $83,710
Total, All Occupations: $33,840

The median annual wage for postsecondary education administrators was $83,710 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $47,130, and the top 10 percent earned more than $164,540.

Postsecondary education administrators generally work full time. Most work year-round, but some schools may reduce their hours during the summer.

Job Outlook About this section

Postsecondary Education Administrators

Percent change in employment, projected 2010-20

Education Administrators, Postsecondary: 19%
Total, All Occupations: 14%
Management Occupations: 7%

Employment of postsecondary education administrators is expected to grow by 19 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average. Expected growth is due to increases in enrollments.

The number of people attending postsecondary school will increase as people seek additional education and skills to meet their career goals. As more people enter colleges and universities, more postsecondary education administrators will be needed to serve the needs of these additional students.

Additional admissions officers will be needed to process students’ applications. More registrars will be needed to register students for classes and ensure that they meet graduation requirements. More student affairs workers will be needed to make housing assignments and plan events for students.

In particular, significant increases in enrollment are expected in online colleges and universities. As a result, there will more demand for postsecondary education administrators in these types of schools.

However, despite expected increases in enrollment, employment growth in public colleges and universities will depend on state and local government budgets. When state and local governments have budget deficits, they may lay off employees, including administrators. As a result, employment growth may be somewhat slowed by state and local government budget deficits.

Job Prospects

Between 2010 and 2020, a large number of postsecondary education administrators are expected to retire. This should open opportunities for new workers entering the field due to the occupation’s need to replace workers who are leaving.

Employment projections data for postsecondary education administrators, 2010-20
Occupational Title	SOC Code	Employment, 2010	Projected Employment, 2020	Change, 2010-20		Employment by Industry
Occupational Title	SOC Code	Employment, 2010	Projected Employment, 2020	Percent	Numeric	Employment by Industry
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program
Education Administrators, Postsecondary	11-9033	146,200	174,000	19	27,800	[XLS]

Similar Occupations About this section

This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those of postsecondary education administrators.

Occupation	Job Duties	ENTRY-LEVEL EDUCATION	2010 MEDIAN PAY
Administrative Services Managers	Administrative services managers plan, direct, and coordinate supportive services of an organization. Their specific responsibilities vary by the type of organization and may include keeping records, distributing mail, and planning and maintaining facilities.	High school diploma or equivalent	$77,890
Human Resources Managers	Human resources managers plan, direct, and coordinate the administrative functions of an organization. They oversee the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring of new staff; consult with top executives on strategic planning; and serve as a link between an organization’s management and its employees.	Bachelor’s degree	$99,180
Postsecondary Teachers	Postsecondary teachers instruct students in a wide variety of academic and vocational subjects beyond the high school level. They also conduct research and publish scholarly papers and books.	Doctoral or professional degree	$62,050
Public Relations Managers and Specialists	Public relations managers and specialists create and maintain a favorable public image for their employer or client. They write material for media releases, plan and direct public relations programs, and raise funds for their organizations.	Bachelor’s degree	$57,550
School and Career Counselors	School counselors help students develop social skills and succeed in school. Career counselors assist people with the process of making career decisions by helping them choose a career or educational program.	Master’s degree	$53,380
Training and Development Managers	Training and development managers plan, direct, and coordinate programs to enhance the knowledge and skills of an organization’s employees. They also oversee a staff of training and development specialists.	Bachelor’s degree	$89,170
Top Executives	Top executives devise strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals. They plan, direct, and coordinate operational activities of companies and public or private-sector organizations.	See How to Become One	$101,250