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The differences between college deans and principals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a college dean, becoming a principal takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a principal has an average salary of $111,719, 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 principal are CRM, project management, and financial services.
| College Dean | Principal | |
| Yearly salary | $91,676 | $111,719 |
| Hourly rate | $44.08 | $53.71 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 1,862 | 84,015 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
A principal is responsible for maintaining the orderliness of the school premises and supervising school operations, enforcing strict safety standards, and reiterating regulatory procedures. Principals' duties also include managing and monitoring school budget and expenses, improving security plans, conducting regular meetings and sharing updates with teachers and other school personnel, creating reports for school funding, and setting academic goals for everyone's compliance. A principal must administer excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills to handle major administrative tasks in maintaining the school's growth.
College deans and principals have different pay scales, as shown below.
| College Dean | Principal | |
| Average salary | $91,676 | $111,719 |
| Salary range | Between $53,000 And $157,000 | Between $69,000 And $179,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bridgeport, CT | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New York |
| Best paying company | Massasoit Community College | KKR & Co. L.P. |
| Best paying industry | Education | Professional |
There are a few differences between a college dean and a principal in terms of educational background:
| College Dean | Principal | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between college deans' and principals' demographics:
| College Dean | Principal | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% | Male, 65.6% Female, 34.4% |
| 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, 10.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |