Education Administrators, Postsecondary

Median salary

$104,590

Average salary

$126,540

Employment

180,470

Projected growth

1.7% growth

Annual openings

15,100

Typical entry education

Master's degree

What Education Administrators, Postsecondary Do

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: Less than 5 years
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 2.2%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 5 of 5

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

Experience: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.
Education: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Job training: Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

English Languageimportance 4.3/5
Administration and Managementimportance 4.2/5
Education and Trainingimportance 4.1/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.1/5
Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 3.4/5
Administrativeimportance 3.3/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.2/5
Communications and Mediaimportance 3.2/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail4.9/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
Telephone Conversations4.7/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.7/5
Freedom to Make Decisions4.6/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.5/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare98% skill match
Instructional Coordinators98% skill match
Clergy97% skill match
Sales Managers97% skill match
Financial Managers97% skill match
Anthropologists and Archeologists97% skill match
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists96% skill match
Fundraisers96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Instructingimportance 4.0/5
Time Managementimportance 4.0/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.9/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.9/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.8/5
Management of Personnel Resourcesimportance 3.8/5
Coordinationimportance 3.6/5
Persuasionimportance 3.6/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

In-Demand Technologies

Student information systems SIS software

Other Software Used

Adobe Dreamweaver
Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge
Blackboard software
CollegeNET Schedule 25
Common Curriculum
Database software
Ellucian Colleague
Ellucian Degree Works

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Leadership Orientation
Dependability
Integrity
Social Orientation
Cooperation
Achievement Orientation
Intellectual Curiosity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

SocialHigh
EnterprisingHigh
ConventionalMedium
InvestigativeMedium
ArtisticLow
RealisticLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where education administrators, postsecondary make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Amherst Town-Northampton, MA7.62× national avg
2College Station-Bryan, TX7.27× national avg
3Flagstaff, AZ7.19× national avg
4Morgantown, WV7.02× national avg
5Lawrence, KS6.94× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Instructional CoordinatorsCareer Change
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and DaycareLateral Move
Financial ManagersLateral Move
Human Resources ManagersLateral Move

See the full career path from Education Administrators, Postsecondary →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.