How To Become A Department Chairperson: What It Is and Career Path

What is a department chairperson and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

As a department chair, your duties are both to your department and the college as a whole. The departmental chairperson at a college looks at the big picture and facilitating a great relationship between the college and the department. But a department chair will also have day-to-day responsibilities that include paperwork, guiding new faculty members, and being the face of the department.

On a college level, you'll be a spokesperson for the department. When the Dean has any inquiries or concerns, you'll be the person to talk to. You'll also need to advocate for the department when needs arise.

The path to becoming a departmental chair varies, but some requirements are pretty much set in stone. For example, you are qualified to work as a faculty member in a college. You must have also conducted lectures and seminars in your related field. There are also academic and research contributions to your profession and especially the college.

ScoreDepartment ChairpersonUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $98,438

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.1

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 4.22%

Black or African American 12.75%

Hispanic or Latino 13.47%

Unknown 3.98%

White 64.89%

Gender

female 54.48%

male 45.52%

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 department chairperson

Explore department chairperson education requirements

Most common department chairperson degrees

Bachelor's

53.9 %

Master's

29.2 %

Doctorate

7.2 %

Start to develop specific department chairperson skills

Skills	Percentages
Curriculum Development	14.88%
Professional Development	13.53%
Classroom Management	12.54%
Rehabilitation	6.91%
Student Learning	4.75%

Complete relevant department chairperson training and internships

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

Research department chairperson duties and 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

Prepare your department chairperson resume

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

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Choose from 10+ customizable department chairperson resume templates

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