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What does an associate dean do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read

An associate dean is responsible for managing the faculty performance and strategizing effective techniques to provide the students' educational needs while following the standard curriculum and regulatory requirements. Associate deans monitor the school's admission, as well as planning programs and activities for career development and counseling services. They also handle the department's budget and allocate adequate resources for each need that would enhance the institution's growth and performance. An associate dean must have excellent communication and leadership skills, especially in evaluating faculty and addressing students' concerns and difficulties.

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Associate dean responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real associate dean resumes:

  • Produce, manage and evaluate all budgetary and programmatic aspects of a comprehensive career service program for students and alumni.
  • Provide oversight on curriculum development, faculty development, and student affairs.
  • Guide department chairs and student advisor for overall improvement of persistence b.
  • Grade papers submit by students according to class rubrics and APA formatting.
  • Promote & facilitate life long learning and leadership in teaching, scholarship and professional practice.
  • Chair committee responsible for developing college-wide programs and assessment tools for measuring student persistence.
  • Created/Orchestrate an innovative counselor visitation program for a consortium of colleges in Ohio and Indiana.
  • Re-Engineer holistic faculty management model adapt by all colleges and support staff to become student centered.
  • Provide oversight of recruitment, compensation and overlapping employment issues for clinical faculty members employ by both organizations.
  • Work cooperatively with other offices and student groups in the implementation of various campus-wide multicultural activities and other major events.
  • Counsele students on awards policy, tax law and award appeals.
  • Use MyMath lab in mathematics courses.
  • Act as interim chairperson of mathematics.
  • Generate compliance reports to the ABA.
  • Obtain ABA acquiescence in the program.

Associate dean skills and personality traits

We calculated that 13% of Associate Deans are proficient in Oversight, Colleges, and Academic Affairs. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Associate Deans that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Oversight, 13%

    Provide oversight of recruitment, compensation and overlapping employment issues for clinical faculty members employed by both organizations.

  • Colleges, 7%

    Re-engineered holistic faculty management model adapted by all colleges and support staff to become student centered.

  • Academic Affairs, 6%

    Develop and submit for formal approval academic affairs policies, procedures, and standardized communications.

  • Curriculum Development, 5%

    Communicate changes in schedule and monitor student progress, curriculum development, articulation agreements with various hospitals and surgical centers.

  • Strategic Plan, 5%

    Facilitated Community Conversations to engage external constituents, Piloted Early Alert program, Group Leader for Strategic Plan/Institutional Goals.

  • Educational Programs, 5%

    Ensured the integrity, excellence, and ongoing development of the divisional educational program.

Most associate deans use their skills in "oversight," "colleges," and "academic affairs" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential associate dean responsibilities here:

Computer skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an associate dean to have is computer skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "postsecondary education administrators need to be comfortable working with computers so they can use software to manage student and school records." Associate deans often use computer skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "maintained 90+% student satisfaction rating over 7+ years, teaching full computer science undergraduate curriculum. "

Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform associate dean duties is organizational skills. Associate deans responsibilities require that "administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff." Associate deans also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "implemented organizational strategic plan through academic initiatives to improve student success. "

Problem-solving skills. associate deans are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to associate dean responsibilities, because "administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions." An associate dean resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "counseled students on academic issues and resolved student issues. "

Most common associate dean skills

The three companies that hire the most associate deans are:

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Compare different associate deans

Associate dean vs. Department chairperson

A Department Chairperson is a faculty member who provides academic and administrative leadership to an academic department. They exercise leadership in recruiting and retaining capable faculty, communicate departmental needs and desires to the Dean and Provost, and coordinate the academic advisement process.

We looked at the average associate dean salary and compared it with the wages of a department chairperson. Generally speaking, department chairpeople are paid $8,640 higher than associate deans per year.Even though associate deans and department chairpeople are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require colleges, curriculum development, and strategic plan in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between associate deans and department chairperson. For instance, associate dean responsibilities require skills such as "oversight," "academic affairs," "educational programs," and "social work." Whereas a department chairperson is skilled in "classroom management," "rehabilitation," "hypertension," and "resuscitation." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Department chairpeople earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $110,842. On the other hand, associate deans are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $87,515.department chairpeople tend to reach similar levels of education than associate deans. In fact, department chairpeople are 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.4% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Associate dean vs. Committee chairperson

A committee chairperson or chair is a presiding officer in an organization who is responsible for leading committee meetings and establishing agendas for the committee members to tackle. Committee chairpersons must provide strong leadership to the organization while reminding committee members about their purpose, mission, and strategic direction. In terms of confidentiality, committee chairpersons must keep business meetings confidential and they must be willing to address committee members who fail to protect confidentiality. They must also report the committee's findings to the organization's board of directors.

Committee chairperson positions earn higher pay than associate dean roles. They earn a $32,832 higher salary than associate deans per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Associate deans and committee chairpeople both require similar skills like "professional development," "community outreach," and "advisory committee" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real associate dean resumes. While associate dean responsibilities can utilize skills like "oversight," "colleges," "academic affairs," and "curriculum development," committee chairpeople use skills like "committee chair," "financial statements," "alumni," and "fraternity."

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Committee chairpeople tend to reach lower levels of education than associate deans. In fact, they're 12.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Associate dean vs. Registrar

A registrar's role is to process and maintain accurate records within an institution or establishment. They are the main point of communication to obtain various kinds of information. In schools, a registrar is in charge of keeping a student or educator's academic, personal, and financial records. They also have the task of arranging a student's course and class schedules. Furthermore, a registrar may also have other administrative tasks such as responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, producing reports, and process requirements.

On average scale, registrars bring in lower salaries than associate deans. In fact, they earn a $49,166 lower salary per year.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, associate deans are more likely to have skills like "oversight," "colleges," "academic affairs," and "curriculum development." But a registrar is more likely to have skills like "patients," "customer service," "medical terminology," and "patient registration."

Registrars earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $36,641. Comparatively, associate deans have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $87,515.When it comes to education, registrars tend to earn lower degree levels compared to associate deans. In fact, they're 20.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 12.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Associate dean vs. Co-chair

A co-chair is responsible for supporting the duties and responsibilities under the supervision of a chair. Co-chairs help with the implementation of effective plans and programs that would benefit the organization. They handle fundraising events, marketing campaigns for promotional programs, audit reports, and evaluating the committee's suggestions and recommendations for its success. A co-chair must have excellent communication and leadership skills and critical-thinking on developing strategies to supervise meetings and events alongside the chair.

Co-chairs average a lower salary than the annual salary of associate deans. The difference is about $424 per year.According to resumes from associate deans and co-chairs, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "professional development," "community outreach," and "advisory boards. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between associate deans and co-chairs, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an associate dean might have more use for skills like "oversight," "colleges," "academic affairs," and "curriculum development." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of co-chairs require skills like "alumni," "plan events," "facebook," and "student organizations. "

Co-chairs reach lower levels of education compared to associate deans, in general. The difference is that they're 13.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 9.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of associate dean

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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