Dean vs department chairperson

The differences between 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 dean and a department chairperson. Additionally, a department chairperson has an average salary of $98,438, which is higher than the $86,318 average annual salary of a dean.

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

Dean vs department chairperson overview

	Dean	Department Chairperson
Yearly salary	$86,318	$98,438
Hourly rate	$41.50	$47.33
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	1,183	33,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a dean do?

A dean is responsible for overseeing the educational operations of the assigned department, enforcing school policies, and monitoring the students' progress by coordinating with the teachers and setting up procedures to improve teaching methods. Deans administer educational training and programs for the students, as well as extra-curricular activities to develop the students' social behavior, maximize their potentials, and increase their self-confidence. They also handle the department's budget, accurately allocating resources and funds to different activities and educational materials.

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.

Dean vs department chairperson salary

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

	Dean	Department Chairperson
Average salary	$86,318	$98,438
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $150,000	Between $50,000 And $191,000
Highest paying City	Los Altos, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Palmer College of Chiropractic	Marshall University
Best paying industry	Education	Finance

Differences between dean and department chairperson education

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

	Dean	Department Chairperson
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Education
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Dean vs department chairperson demographics

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

	Dean	Department Chairperson
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 53.8% Female, 46.2%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	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%	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 dean and department chairperson duties and responsibilities

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.

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.

Dean vs department chairperson skills

Common dean skills

Curriculum Development, 8%
Oversight, 8%
Scholarship, 7%
Human Resources, 6%
Strategic Plan, 5%
Colleges, 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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Dean vs Department Chairperson

Updated January 8, 2025

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