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Educational administrator education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an educational administrator. Educational administrators usually study business, education, or educational leadership. 61% of educational administrators hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,100 real educational administrator resumes to see exactly what educational administrator education sections show.

The most common colleges for educational administrators are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online educational administrator courses to help get the education required to be an educational administrator.

There are certain educational administrator certifications that you should consider. These educational administrator certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

What education do you need to become an educational administrator?

What degree do you need to be an educational administrator?

The most common degree for educational administrators is bachelor's degree, with 61% of educational administrators earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 19% and master's degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 61%
  • Master's, 19%
  • Associate, 10%
  • Doctorate, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become an educational administrator?

You should major in business to become an educational administrator. 17% of educational administrators major in business. Other common majors for an educational administrator include education and educational leadership.

Most common colleges for educational administrators

Educational administrators often get their degrees at New York University, University of Phoenix, and Florida State University. Here are the most common colleges for educational administrators in the US based on their resumes.
Educational administrator common collegePercentages
New York University9.57%
University of Phoenix7.83%
Florida State University6.96%
Temple University6.09%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey6.09%

Best majors for educational administrators

RankMajorPercentages
1Business17.0%
2Education14.2%
3Educational Leadership9.6%
4Psychology8.1%
5Elementary Education7.7%

Best colleges for educational administrators

The best colleges for educational administrators are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

An educational administrator with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for educational administrators. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become educational administrators.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

6. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

7. SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,099

Enrollment

21,404

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

20 best online courses for educational administrators

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1. Online Learning Design for Educators

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This specialization is for educators seeking to improve and expand their repertoire of online teaching skills related to the design, development and delivery of effective and engaging online courses and lessons for school age and adult learners.\n\nLearning in the 21st century no longer takes place exclusively between the four walls of a physical classroom. With advances in technology, learners now expect to be offered flexible study modes outside of the traditional face-to-face model. This...

2. Music Education for Teachers

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In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...

3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)

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4.4
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Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...

4. Google Certified Educator Level 1 Technical Training

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4.5
(294)

Google Apps for Education...

5. What future for education?

coursera

Through this course you will start to critically examine your own ideas about education, teaching and learning. The critique will be developed through engagement with theories and ideas developed through educational research. You will be encouraged to use these ideas to challenge or support your own ideas about education. Each week we will focus on one key question, using video lectures, key readings and challenges to explore some commonplace notions about education. With the guidance of the...

6. Diversity and Inclusion in Education

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Student diversity is becoming the rule rather than the exception in education systems across the world. Students bring to classroom different characteristics such as ability and disability, socio-economic background, race, ethnicity, and cultural background, beliefs and religion, and gender characteristics. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (United Nations, 2015)...

7. Seth Godin on learning and education

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4.6
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Build the future of community, culture and possibility...

8. Train the Trainer Foundation: Adult Education Mastery Course

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4.6
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Deploy a repeatable system for employee learning to ensure you reach every learner…every time...

9. Aboriginal Worldviews and Education

coursera

Intended for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal learners, this course will explore indigenous ways of knowing and how they can benefit all students. Topics include historical, social, and political issues in Aboriginal education; terminology; cultural, spiritual and philosophical themes in Aboriginal worldviews; and how Aboriginal worldviews can inform professional programs and practices, including but not limited to the field of education...

10. Critical Issues in Urban Education

coursera

Urban school reform in the United States is characterized by contentious, politicized debate. This course explores a set of critical issues in the education and educational reform space, with a focus on aspects of the field that have sparked controversy and polarized views. We will dig into these debates, situating them within the larger history of public education and school reform, and considering the viewpoints, the evidence, and translation of issues into educational policy. We will...

11. Introduction to Early Childhood Montessori Education

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4.7
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Learning Montessori Philosophy and Materials by visiting classrooms across the U.S...

12. Complete Google Certified Educator Level 1 and 2 Masterclass

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4.2
(590)

Google Certified Educator Level 1 and 2 Training - Mastering Google Classroom - G Suite - Teaching Online - Google Drive...

13. Computational Thinking & Block Programming in K-12 Education

coursera

In the 21st century, computational thinking is a skill critical for all the world's citizens. Computing and technology is impacting all our lives and everyone needs to know how to formulate problems and express their solutions such that a computer can carry it out.\n\nIn this Specialization you will both learn several block-based languages, but using novel approaches designed to make learning programming easier.\n\nCovers most CSTA Algorithms & Programming Standards for Algorithms, Variables,...

14. Health, Housing, and Educational Services

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Course 5 discusses policies in four areas: housing, education, healthcare, and immigration, with an optional fifth module in child protection. This course addresses issues of power, oppression, and white supremacy. -First we’ll look at housing policy, with its contrasting supports for homeowners and renters. -Then we’ll interpret the structure that provides education and examine debates about its future. -The third module will differentiate the issues in the U.S. healthcare system and develop...

15. Financial Education from 0: Learn Quick and Easy

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4.2
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Learn the Basics of Personal Finance. Build Healthy Financial Habits! Financial Education from Beginner to Advanced!...

16. Instructional Methods in Health Professions Education

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This course provides those involved in educating members of the health professions an asynchronous, interdisciplinary, and interactive way to obtain, expand, and improve their teaching skills. These skills can then be applied within their own professional context, with a variety of learners, extending across many stages. After completing this course, learners will: 1. Understand educational theory as it relates to health professions education 2. Match instructional methods with desired...

17. ICT in Primary Education: Transforming children's learning across the curriculum

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Why and how are teachers integrating ICT (Information and Communication Technology) into primary education? In this course we analyse examples from schools in different parts of the world, and bring professional teachers, headteachers and policymakers together to share their best ideas and inspiring stories. The materials in the course are based on studies carried out for the UNESCO Institute of IT in Education, Moscow. Learning Outcomes: to be aware of the range of reasons for using ICT to...

18. Teaching Impacts of Technology in K-12 Education

coursera

2% That’s the estimate of how many high school students in all of California took a Computer Science class in 2015. And yet, computers and data are everywhere. Just consider a typical 24 hours in your life … how many different computer devices do you use? We all live in multiple digital worlds that are changing rapidly with new apps, devices, and data analyses offering a constant stream of innovations and technology integrations for our lives.\n\nAs it's an integral part of our lives, we’re...

19. Activity Design with PhET Simulations for STEM Education

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PhET Interactive Simulations ( https://phet.colorado.edu/ ), a project of the University of Colorado Boulder, provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations for use across, primary, secondary, and higher education levels. We extensively test and evaluate each simulation to ensure educational effectiveness. All simulations are open source and free to all students and teachers. In this course, we will review strategies for how to use PhET to create sim-based...

20. Climate change education

coursera

This specialization offers tools and resources developed as part of the "Rise up" initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to combat climate change and improve the sustainability of the planet. Through the three courses that make up this specialization, you will learn what we can do individually, as a school, and as a community to lead a more sustainable and healthier life. You'll also delve into the primary ethical and social issues related to climate change, how to use games to...

Top 10 most affordable universities for educational administrators

The most affordable schools for educational administrators are Baruch College of the City University of New York, usf sarasota-manatee, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for educational administrators are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for educational administrators.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

6. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

8. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for educational administrators

The hardest universities for educational administrators to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for educational administrators are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for educational administrators based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for educational administrators

The easiest schools for educational administrators to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an educational administrator without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for educational administrators.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

8. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

9. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

10. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

Average educational administrator salary by education level

According to our data, educational administrators with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $91,886 annually. Educational administrators with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $80,125.
Educational administrator education levelEducational administrator salary
Master's Degree$80,125
Bachelor's Degree$65,914
Doctorate Degree$91,886

Educational administrator education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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