How To Become An Associate Dean Of Students: What It Is and Career Path

What is an associate dean of students and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A university is about so much more than what goes on inside the classroom. Students learn through educational programs and extracurricular activities. It is also easy for students to fall through the cracks, and a university needs many support systems to ensure that all students are getting the help they need. The person in charge of all these aspects of student welfare is the associate dean of students.

Some parts of the associate dean of student's job have to do with academics, such developing educational programs and reviewing the curriculum. However, they spend a lot of their time thinking about other aspects of student welfare not covered by the classroom, such as crisis intervention, diversity initiatives, and more.

In order to do their job right, the associate dean of students needs to know a lot about education and students. That is why many have advanced degrees such as masters or doctorates. The associate dean of students works closely with the dean of students, and can work their way up to the position of a full dean eventually.

ScoreAssociate Dean Of StudentsUS Average

Salary

5.9

Avg. Salary $74,999

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.1

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 4.37%

Black or African American 9.95%

Hispanic or Latino 14.31%

Unknown 4.01%

White 66.66%

Gender

female 53.59%

male 46.41%

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

Key steps to become an associate dean of students

Explore associate dean of students education requirements

Most common associate dean of students degrees

Bachelor's

71.0 %

Master's

10.8 %

Associate

8.0 %

Start to develop specific associate dean of students skills

Skills	Percentages
Student Affairs	12.51%
Alumni	7.10%
Student Services	5.79%
Student Development	5.52%
Professional Development	5.31%

Complete relevant associate dean of students training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New associate deans of students 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 associate dean of students based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real associate dean of students resumes.

Research associate dean of students duties and responsibilities

Conduct student transactions in compliance with FERPA regulations.
Provide comprehensive oversight to faculty, staff and students.
Cultivate professional relationships with businesses, community colleges, hospitals, social service agencies, parishes, schools and school districts.
Organize alumni and advisory council meetings and events.

Apply for associate dean of students jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an associate dean of students job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

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

What is an associate dean of students and how to become one

Associate dean of students career paths