How To Become A Dean: What It Is and Career Path

What is a dean and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Melissa Gregory

Have you ever imagined how kings used to walk in their palaces? Take a look at your dean when they are out for an inspection, and you will get a realistic view of your imagination. Yes, the dean is the king of any educational institute. The one who makes policies enforces them, coordinates with teachers, allocates resources and monitors the whole educational program to look out for improvement.

Do you know what the attraction to hold such a responsible seat is? Well, it's practicing the power that too, along with an average salary of $40 per hour. But to apply for this job, you should have a minimum qualification of a bachelor's degree along with years of teaching experience.

Being at the top of an educational institute is not an easy job. You have a lot to do, including periodical meetings, whether that's with parents, teachers, or student bodies, remodeling the budget, and above all keep a check and balance on the whole educational system.

What general advice would you give to a dean?

Melissa Gregory

Dean and Professor, University of Toledo

Melissa Valiska Gregory, Dean, College of Arts and Letters, University of Toledo, https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-gregory-193546290/, https://www.utoledo.edu/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PPC&utm_campaign=Gen-Enrollment&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqpSwBhClARIsADlZ_TlC5r5c4-Sw7v9XW7tXvN3mlDs-TrgkdXuf8J8xwnvs7T-HF2gVPgoaAkYCEALw_wcB

ScoreDeanUS Average

Salary

6.7

Avg. Salary $86,318

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.1

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 4.34%

Black or African American 11.50%

Hispanic or Latino 14.15%

Unknown 4.00%

White 65.31%

Gender

female 46.20%

male 53.80%

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 a dean

Explore dean education requirements

Most common dean degrees

Bachelor's

52.5 %

Master's

16.4 %

Associate

11.3 %

Start to develop specific dean skills

Skills	Percentages
Curriculum Development	8.28%
Oversight	8.08%
Scholarship	6.68%
Human Resources	5.70%
Strategic Plan	5.40%

Complete relevant dean training and internships

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

Research dean duties and 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.

Prepare your dean resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your dean resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a dean resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable dean resume templates

Build a professional dean resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your dean resume.