College dean vs department chairperson

The differences between college deans 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 a college dean and a department chairperson. Additionally, a department chairperson has an average salary of $98,438, which is higher than the $91,676 average annual salary of a college dean.

The top three skills for a college dean include colleges, scholarship and strategic plan. The most important skills for a department chairperson are curriculum development, professional development, and classroom management.

College dean vs department chairperson overview

	College Dean	Department Chairperson
Yearly salary	$91,676	$98,438
Hourly rate	$44.08	$47.33
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	1,862	33,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a college dean do?

College deans lead the faculty to achieve their goals in areas like teaching, scholarship, and service. They are the representatives of the colleges they oversee both internally and externally. Deans are in charge of reviewing curricular requests and instruction proposals and denying or approving them to ensure they meet the state and accreditation standards. Their job is to ensure that all records kept in their offices are accurate to make it easier to respond to academic concerns and seek resolution with the faculty.

What does a department chairperson do?

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.

College dean vs department chairperson salary

College deans and department chairpeople have different pay scales, as shown below.

	College Dean	Department Chairperson
Average salary	$91,676	$98,438
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $157,000	Between $50,000 And $191,000
Highest paying City	Bridgeport, CT	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	California
Best paying company	Massasoit Community College	Marshall University
Best paying industry	Education	Finance

Differences between college dean and department chairperson education

There are a few differences between a college dean and a department chairperson in terms of educational background:

	College Dean	Department Chairperson
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Education
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

College dean vs department chairperson demographics

Here are the differences between college deans' and department chairpeople' demographics:

	College Dean	Department Chairperson
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 4.4% White, 65.2% 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 college dean and department chairperson duties and responsibilities

College dean example responsibilities.

Produce, manage and evaluate all budgetary and programmatic aspects of a comprehensive career service program for students and alumni.
Design new illustrations for children's literature using a Wacom tablet.
Authore ICT faculty handbooks and train faculty in effective implementation.
Work cooperatively with other offices and student groups in the implementation of various campus-wide multicultural activities and other major events.
Authore ICT faculty handbooks and train faculty in effective implementation.

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.

College dean vs department chairperson skills

Common college dean skills

Colleges, 23%
Scholarship, 18%
Strategic Plan, 13%
Professional Development, 12%
Graduate Programs, 8%
Accreditation Standards, 5%

Common department chairperson skills

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

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College Dean vs Department Chairperson

Updated January 8, 2025

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