Postsecondary Education Administrator

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.

On the job, you would:

Appoint individuals to faculty positions, and evaluate their performance.
Develop curricula, and recommend curricula revisions and additions.
Design or use assessments to monitor student learning outcomes.

Important Qualities

Computer skills. Postsecondary education administrators need to be comfortable working with computers so they can use software to manage student and school records.

Interpersonal skills. Postsecondary education administrators need to build good relationships with colleagues, students, and parents. For example, those in admissions need to be outgoing so they can encourage prospective students to apply to the school.

Organizational skills. Administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff.

Problem-solving skills. Administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions.

Personality

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Characteristics of this Career
		91%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
		90%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
		90%	Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
		89%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
		88%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
		85%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
		85%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
		84%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
		84%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
		84%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
		82%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
		82%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
		82%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
		80%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
		75%	Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
		74%	Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Strengths
		100%	Enterprising - Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
		67%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
		61%	Social - Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Values of the Work Environment
		89%	Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
		83%	Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
		83%	Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
		81%	Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
		72%	Recognition - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
		56%	Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

Aptitude

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Abilities \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		78%	Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
		78%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
		78%	Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
		78%	Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
		75%	Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
		75%	Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
		75%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
		75%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
		72%	Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
		72%	Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
		69%	Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
		69%	Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
		69%	Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
		66%	Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
		60%	Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
		53%	Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Skills \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		66%	Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
		61%	Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
		61%	Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
		61%	Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
		61%	Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
		61%	Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
		57%	Management of Personnel Resources - Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
		57%	Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
		57%	Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
		57%	Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
		57%	Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
		57%	Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
		57%	Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
		57%	Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
		57%	Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
		55%	Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
		54%	Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
		54%	Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
		54%	Systems Analysis - Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
		54%	Systems Evaluation - Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

Job Details

Responsibilities

Advise others on career or personal development.

Evaluate employee performance.

Supervise employees.

Develop operating strategies, plans, or procedures.

Represent the organization in external relations.

Prepare proposals or grant applications to obtain project funding.

Manage operations, research, or logistics projects.

Direct facility maintenance or repair activities.

Administer tests to assess educational needs or progress.

Prepare tests.

Prepare operational reports or records.

Prepare reports detailing student activities or performance.

Conduct employee training programs.

Hire personnel.

Recruit personnel.

Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets.

Prepare operational budgets.

Represent the organization in external relations.

Serve on institutional or departmental committees.

Schedule activities or facility use.

Prepare forms or applications.

Develop organizational policies or programs.

Develop operating strategies, plans, or procedures.

Confer with organizational members to accomplish work activities.

Evaluate employee performance.

Manage human resources activities.

Direct administrative or support services.

Develop educational goals, standards, policies, or procedures.

Recommend organizational process or policy changes.

Schedule activities or facility use.

Prepare staff schedules or work assignments.

Communicate with government agencies.

Teach classes in area of specialization.

Recruit personnel.

Monitor student performance.

Advise students on academic or career matters.

Direct administrative or support services.

Manage operations, research, or logistics projects.

Analyze data to inform operational decisions or activities.

Confer with organizational members to accomplish work activities.

Conduct financial or regulatory audits.

Coordinate special events or programs.

Manage outreach activities.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent
		98%	Electronic Mail - How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
		94%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
		93%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
		92%	Structured versus Unstructured Work - To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
		91%	Freedom to Make Decisions - How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?
		89%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
		89%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
		88%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
		87%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
		87%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
		80%	Coordinate or Lead Others - How important is it to coordinate or lead others in accomplishing work activities in this job?
		78%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
		76%	Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - How responsible is the worker for work outcomes and results of other workers?
		74%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
		70%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
		66%	Letters and Memos - How often does the job require written letters and memos?
		66%	Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
		55%	Public Speaking - How often do you have to perform public speaking in this job?
		55%	Frequency of Conflict Situations - How often are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?
		82%	Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Tasks & Values
		92%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
		85%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
		85%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
		84%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
		83%	Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
		79%	Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards - Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
		78%	Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
		78%	Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
		77%	Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
		76%	Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
		76%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
		75%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
		74%	Developing and Building Teams - Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
		73%	Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates - Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
		73%	Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
		72%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
		71%	Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
		71%	Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
		70%	Coaching and Developing Others - Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
		70%	Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
		68%	Performing Administrative Activities - Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
		68%	Communicating with People Outside the Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
		66%	Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
		64%	Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
		63%	Providing Consultation and Advice to Others - Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
		60%	Training and Teaching Others - Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
		60%	Staffing Organizational Units - Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
		57%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
		54%	Monitoring and Controlling Resources - Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
		54%	Selling or Influencing Others - Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
		53%	Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information - Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.

What Postsecondary Education Administrators Do

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

Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and faculty research at colleges and universities. Their job duties vary depending on the department in which they work, such as admissions, student affairs, or the registrar’s office.

Duties

Education administrators’ duties depend on the size of their college or university. Small schools often have small staffs that 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.

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

Determine how many students to admit to the school
Meet with prospective students and encourage them to apply
Review applications to determine which students should be admitted
Analyze data about applicants and admitted students

Admissions officers also prepare promotional materials about the school. They often are assigned a region of the country to which they travel and speak to high school counselors and students.

Admissions officers who work with the financial aid department offer packages of federal and institutional financial aid to prospective students.

Postsecondary education administrators may be provosts or academic deans. Provosts, also called chief academic officers, help college presidents develop academic policies, participate in making faculty appointments and tenure decisions, and manage budgets. They also oversee faculty research at colleges and universities. Academic deans coordinate the activities of the individual colleges or schools. For example, a large university may have a separate dean for business, law, and medical schools.

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

Schedule course offerings, including space and times for classes
Oversee student registration for classes
Ensure that students meet graduation requirements
Plan commencement ceremonies
Prepare transcripts and diplomas for students
Produce data about students and classes
Maintain the academic records of the institution

Registrars’ duties vary throughout the school year. During registration and at the beginning of the academic term, for example, they help students sign up for, drop, and add courses. Registrars need computer skills to create and maintain databases.

Postsecondary education administrators who work in student affairs are responsible for a variety of cocurricular school functions. They typically do the following:

Advise students on topics such as housing, personal problems, or academics
Communicate with parents or guardians
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 may specialize in areas such as student activities, housing and residential life, or multicultural affairs. In student activities, they plan events and advise student clubs and organizations. In housing and residential life, they assign students to rooms and match them with roommates, ensure that residential facilities are well maintained, and train residential advisers. In multicultural affairs, they plan events to celebrate different cultures and diverse backgrounds. Sometimes, they manage multicultural centers on campus.

Work Environment

Postsecondary education administrators held about 218,200 jobs in 2022. The largest employers of postsecondary education administrators were as follows:

Colleges, universities, and professional schools; state, local, and private	81%
Junior colleges; state, local, and private	12

Work Schedules

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

Getting Started

Education:

48%

Master's Degree

37%

Doctoral Degree

How to Become a Postsecondary Education Administrator

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

Postsecondary education administrators typically need a master’s degree. However, there will be some opportunities for those with a bachelor’s degree. Employers typically prefer candidates who have experience working in a postsecondary academic administrative office, particularly for occupations such as registrars and academic deans.

Education

Postsecondary education administrators typically need a master’s degree. However, a bachelor’s degree may be sufficient for positions at small colleges and universities. Degrees may be in a variety of fields, such as education, business, or social science.

Provosts and deans often must have a Ph.D. Some begin their careers as professors and later move into administration. They have a doctorate in the field in which they taught or in higher education.

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

Employers typically prefer to hire candidates who have several years of experience in a college administrative setting. Some postsecondary education administrators work in the registrar’s office or as a resident assistant while in college to gain the necessary experience. For other positions, such as those in admissions and student affairs, experience may not be necessary.

Advancement

Education administrators with advanced degrees may be promoted to higher level positions within their department or the college. Some become college presidents, an occupation discussed in the profile on top executives.

Job Outlook

Employment of postsecondary education administrators is projected to grow 4 percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations.

About 15,300 openings for postsecondary education administrators are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Employment growth in the occupation is tied to student enrollments at colleges and universities.

People will continue to seek postsecondary education to accomplish 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. Registrars will be needed to direct student registration for classes and ensure that they meet graduation requirements. Student affairs workers will be needed to make housing assignments and plan events for students.

Provosts and academic dean positions will be limited, since there is typically a set number of these positions per institution.

Despite expected increases in enrollment, employment growth in public colleges and universities will depend on state and local government budgets. If there is a budget deficit, postsecondary institutions may lay off employees, including administrators. If there is a budget surplus, postsecondary institutions may hire more employees.

Contacts for More Information

For more information about registrars or admissions counselors, visit

American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

For more information about education administrators specializing in student affairs, visit

NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

Similar Occupations

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	Median Annual Pay, May 2022
Administrative Services and Facilities Managers	Administrative services and facilities managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities that help an organization run efficiently.	Bachelor's degree	$101,870
Human Resources Managers	Human resources managers plan, coordinate, and direct the administrative functions of an organization.	Bachelor's degree	$130,000
Postsecondary Teachers	Postsecondary teachers instruct students in a variety of academic subjects beyond the high school level.	See How to Become One	$80,840
Public Relations and Fundraising Managers	Public relations managers direct the creation of materials that will enhance the public image of their employer or client. Fundraising managers coordinate campaigns that bring in donations for their organization.	Bachelor's degree	$125,620
Public Relations Specialists	Public relations specialists create and maintain a positive public image for the clients they represent.	Bachelor's degree	$67,440
School and Career Counselors and Advisors	School counselors help students develop academic and social skills. Career counselors and advisors help people choose a path to employment.	Master's degree	$60,140
Top Executives	Top executives plan strategies and policies to ensure that an organization meets its goals.	Bachelor's degree	$100,090
Training and Development Managers	Training and development managers plan, coordinate, and direct skills- and knowledge-enhancement programs for an organization’s staff.	Bachelor's degree	$120,000
Elementary, Middle, and High School Principals	Elementary, middle, and high school principals oversee all school operations, including daily school activities.	Master's degree	$101,320