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What is an academic affairs director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an academic affairs director. For example, did you know that they make an average of $54.1 an hour? That's $112,527 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 15,500 job opportunities across the U.S.
ScoreAcademic Affairs DirectorUS Average
Salary
7.9

Avg. Salary $112,527

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.1

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 4.28%

Black or African American 11.43%

Hispanic or Latino 13.81%

Unknown 3.99%

White 65.79%

Gender

female 51.95%

male 48.05%

Age - 47
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47
Stress level
8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance
4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Academic affairs director career paths

Key steps to become an academic affairs director

  1. Explore academic affairs director education requirements

    Most common academic affairs director degrees

    Bachelor's

    51.8 %

    Master's

    24.6 %

    Doctorate

    12.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific academic affairs director skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Financial Aid9.88%
    Colleges9.73%
    Academic Programs7.47%
    Student Services6.93%
    Curriculum Development6.69%
  3. Complete relevant academic affairs director training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New academic affairs directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an academic affairs director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real academic affairs director resumes.
  4. Research academic affairs director duties and responsibilities

    • Manage and track individual sorority members monthly study hour requirements.
    • Experience in the support of transition and retention strategies for multicultural student populations to address differentials in attrition and retention.
    • Deliver training seminars to faculty, administrators and staff providing services to veterans.
  5. Get academic affairs director experience

    Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become an academic affairs director. The most common roles before becoming an academic affairs director include instructor, chairperson team lead and teacher.
  6. Prepare your academic affairs director resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your academic affairs director resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an academic affairs director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable academic affairs director resume templates

    Build a professional academic affairs director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your academic affairs director resume.
    Academic Affairs Director Resume
    Academic Affairs Director Resume
    Academic Affairs Director Resume
    Academic Affairs Director Resume
    Academic Affairs Director Resume
    Academic Affairs Director Resume
    Academic Affairs Director Resume
    Academic Affairs Director Resume
    Academic Affairs Director Resume
  7. Apply for academic affairs director jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for an academic affairs director job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first academic affairs director job

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Average academic affairs director salary

The average academic affairs director salary in the United States is $112,527 per year or $54 per hour. Academic affairs director salaries range between $70,000 and $180,000 per year.

Average academic affairs director salary
$112,527 Yearly
$54.10 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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