College director vs department chairperson

The differences between college directors 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 director and a department chairperson. Additionally, a department chairperson has an average salary of $98,438, which is higher than the $93,752 average annual salary of a college director.

The top three skills for a college director include alumni, financial aid and program development. The most important skills for a department chairperson are curriculum development, professional development, and classroom management.

College director vs department chairperson overview

	College Director	Department Chairperson
Yearly salary	$93,752	$98,438
Hourly rate	$45.07	$47.33
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	10,497	33,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

College director vs department chairperson salary

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

	College Director	Department Chairperson
Average salary	$93,752	$98,438
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $175,000	Between $50,000 And $191,000
Highest paying City	Davis, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	California
Best paying company	Emory Healthcare	Marshall University
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between college director and department chairperson education

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

	College Director	Department Chairperson
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Education
Most common college	Harvard University	University of Pennsylvania

College director vs department chairperson demographics

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

	College Director	Department Chairperson
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 53.6% Female, 46.4%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.8% 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 director and department chairperson duties and responsibilities

College director example responsibilities.

Lead project management team in development/execution of conferences and enduring CME -accredite programs.
Work with colleges through out Texas to develop common numbering system for courses.
Foster communication with alumni and encourage participation in events, programs and monetary support
Develop relationships with area guidance counselors in order to facilitate alumni transition from high school to post secondary education.
Design curricula and teach courses in development of oral and written communication skills, mathematics and general educational development for adults.
Safeguard course and syllabus alignment by performing ongoing examination review.

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 director vs department chairperson skills

Common college director skills

Alumni, 13%
Financial Aid, 10%
Program Development, 10%
Professional Development, 9%
Academic Affairs, 7%
Student Services, 6%

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 Director vs Department Chairperson

Updated January 8, 2025

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