College or university department head vs dean

The differences between college or university department heads and deans 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 or university department head and a dean. Additionally, a college or university department head has an average salary of $104,656, which is higher than the $86,318 average annual salary of a dean.

College or university department head vs dean overview

	College Or University Department Head	Dean
Yearly salary	$104,656	$86,318
Hourly rate	$50.32	$41.50
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	38,019	1,183
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

College or university department head vs dean salary

College or university department heads and deans have different pay scales, as shown below.

	College Or University Department Head	Dean
Average salary	$104,656	$86,318
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $232,000	Between $49,000 And $150,000
Highest paying City	-	Los Altos, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Palmer College of Chiropractic
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between college or university department head and dean education

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

	College Or University Department Head	Dean
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Finance	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

College or university department head vs dean demographics

Here are the differences between college or university department heads' and deans' demographics:

	College Or University Department Head	Dean
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8%	Male, 53.8% Female, 46.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 3.5% White, 72.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between college or university department head and dean duties and responsibilities

College or university department head example responsibilities.

Lead meetings with ESL department teachers in which teachers collaborate on unit plan ideas, classroom strategies and student needs.
Conduct screening, interviewing, and on-the-job -training for new CSA's.
Develop one-on-one relationships with students through accountability and weekly meetings to establish permanence and lasting ties to the ministry.
Develop one-on-one relationships with students through accountability and weekly meetings to establish permanence and lasting ties to the ministry.

Dean example responsibilities.

Produce, manage and evaluate all budgetary and programmatic aspects of a comprehensive career service program for students and alumni.
Develop funding split or co-fund project collaborations across colleges.
Deliver oversight and management of student behavior and attendance compliance.
Build partnerships with community colleges and universities for student opportunities.
Provide leadership for instructional programming and oversight for the operations of the agriculture, energy and sustainability areas.
Work cooperatively with other offices and student groups in the implementation of various campus-wide multicultural activities and other major events.

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College Or University Department Head
College Or University Department Head vs Dean

Updated January 8, 2025

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