Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between academic directors and residence hall 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 director and a residence hall director. Additionally, an academic director has an average salary of $122,669, which is higher than the $47,193 average annual salary of a residence hall director.
The top three skills for an academic director include professional development, curriculum development and student performance. The most important skills for a residence hall director are residence life, desk assistants, and student development.
| Academic Director | Residence Hall Director | |
| Yearly salary | $122,669 | $47,193 |
| Hourly rate | $58.98 | $22.69 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 12,420 | 6,713 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
The academic director is the person that leads the school or university in an active stance in education. The vitality of the level of education rests on the shoulders of the director. The academic director is also responsible for hiring faculty staff, working with teachers and professors to create and develop the school curriculum, work with the school administrator regarding student affairs and help in the administrative duties in line with the educational institution. Also included in the academic director's task is assessing incoming students, processing grades, and attending to students' needs and welfare.
A Residence Hall Director spearheads and oversees campus residential areas' daily operations to ensure students' safety and welfare. They are responsible for managing staff, setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and timelines, delegating duties among managers, implementing programs and protocols, and monitoring all procedures, resolving issues and concerns if any arise. Moreover, a Residence Hall Director encourages staff to reach goals while implementing policies and regulations to help maintain a healthy and safe community for the students.
Academic directors and residence hall directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Academic Director | Residence Hall Director | |
| Average salary | $122,669 | $47,193 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $191,000 | Between $31,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Emory Healthcare | School of Visual Concepts |
| Best paying industry | Transportation | - |
There are a few differences between an academic director and a residence hall director in terms of educational background:
| Academic Director | Residence Hall Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between academic directors' and residence hall directors' demographics:
| Academic Director | Residence Hall Director | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% | Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 4.7% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |