Academic affairs director vs department chairperson

The differences between academic affairs directors and department chairpeople can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an academic affairs director and a department chairperson. Additionally, an academic affairs director has an average salary of $112,527, which is higher than the $98,438 average annual salary of a department chairperson.

The top three skills for an academic affairs director include financial aid, colleges and academic programs. The most important skills for a department chairperson are curriculum development, professional development, and classroom management.

Academic affairs director vs department chairperson overview

	Academic Affairs Director	Department Chairperson
Yearly salary	$112,527	$98,438
Hourly rate	$54.10	$47.33
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	11,420	33,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Academic affairs director vs department chairperson salary

Academic affairs directors and department chairpeople have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Academic Affairs Director	Department Chairperson
Average salary	$112,527	$98,438
Salary range	Between $70,000 And $180,000	Between $50,000 And $191,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	University of Maryland, Baltimore	Marshall University
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between academic affairs director and department chairperson education

There are a few differences between an academic affairs director and a department chairperson in terms of educational background:

	Academic Affairs Director	Department Chairperson
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Education
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Academic affairs director vs department chairperson demographics

Here are the differences between academic affairs directors' and department chairpeople' demographics:

	Academic Affairs Director	Department Chairperson
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 4.2% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between academic affairs director and department chairperson duties and responsibilities

Academic affairs director example 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.

Department chairperson example responsibilities.

Manage the club's Facebook/Twitter accounts.
Lead meetings with ESL department teachers in which teachers collaborate on unit plan ideas, classroom strategies and student needs.
Manage the development of an alumni newsletter and coordinate with alumni to provide relevant content.
Manage both individual and organizational achievements for the members through involvement with the community, philanthropies, campus involvement, and scholarship
Negotiate and obtain clinical sites for PN and ADN programs.
Develop and deliver dynamic, rigorous lessons for high school economics classes.

Academic affairs director vs department chairperson skills

Common academic affairs director skills

Financial Aid, 10%
Colleges, 10%
Academic Programs, 7%
Student Services, 7%
Curriculum Development, 7%
Educational Programs, 6%

Common department chairperson skills

Curriculum Development, 15%
Professional Development, 14%
Classroom Management, 13%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Student Learning, 5%
Colleges, 4%

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Academic Affairs Director vs Department Chairperson

Updated January 8, 2025

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