Academic dean vs career services director

The differences between academic deans and career services directors 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 dean and a career services director. Additionally, an academic dean has an average salary of $94,053, which is higher than the $63,640 average annual salary of a career services director.

The top three skills for an academic dean include curriculum development, professional development and student services. The most important skills for a career services director are alumni, career development, and career fairs.

Academic dean vs career services director overview

	Academic Dean	Career Services Director
Yearly salary	$94,053	$63,640
Hourly rate	$45.22	$30.60
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	3,190	58,546
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does an academic dean do?

Academic deans take a vital role in the development and advancement of education in a college or university. The dean may have different functions depending on the university, but mostly, academic deans focus on creating new strategies in providing education for students. It is the responsibility of the academic dean to ensure that the faculty conducts all educational practices. The academic dean also manages all faculty members' activities and works with drafting the university's curriculum.

What does a career services director do?

A career services director spearheads and oversees the operations of an organization, ensuring clients get to receive optimal services. They have the power to set goals and timelines, establish guidelines and budgets, streamline career program roadmaps, coordinate managers and teams, and make decisions. They also communicate with external and internal parties, building positive relationships with clients and business partners. Moreover, a career services director leads and encourages staff to reach goals while implementing the organizations' policies and regulations.

Academic dean vs career services director salary

Academic deans and career services directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Academic Dean	Career Services Director
Average salary	$94,053	$63,640
Salary range	Between $57,000 And $153,000	Between $45,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Toms River, NJ
Highest paying state	New York	New Jersey
Best paying company	DCP Holdings Inc	Bain & Company
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between academic dean and career services director education

There are a few differences between an academic dean and a career services director in terms of educational background:

	Academic Dean	Career Services Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Academic dean vs career services director demographics

Here are the differences between academic deans' and career services directors' demographics:

	Academic Dean	Career Services Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0%	Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between academic dean and career services director duties and responsibilities

Academic dean example responsibilities.

Produce, manage and evaluate all budgetary and programmatic aspects of a comprehensive career service program for students and alumni.
Work cooperatively with other offices and student groups in the implementation of various campus-wide multicultural activities and other major events.
Create individualized educational plans for students desiring to study in English speaking countries.
Coordinate several courses which involve development of the departmental syllabus and managing development of the departmental final.

Career services director example responsibilities.

Support and oversee students from colleges across the country as they organize and lead interfaith service programming on their own campuses.
Facilitate the connection between employers seeking graduating seniors and alumni who are interest in securing career employment.
Counsele law students and alumni regarding legal and alternate career opportunities and job search strategy including resume and cover letter preparation.
Perform agency contact, outreach, and follow up services for disadvantage TANF clients
Create PowerPoint presentations for training each aspect of career development.
Develop and present PowerPoint presentations for upcoming and current students.

Academic dean vs career services director skills

Common academic dean skills

Curriculum Development, 10%
Professional Development, 7%
Student Services, 5%
Student Learning, 5%
Academic Affairs, 5%
Program Directors, 4%

Common career services director skills

Alumni, 21%
Career Development, 14%
Career Fairs, 9%
Mock Interviews, 5%
Career Planning, 4%
Student Placement, 4%

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Academic Dean vs Career Services Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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