Higher education administrator vs athletic director

The differences between higher education administrators and athletic directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a higher education administrator and an athletic director. Additionally, an athletic director has an average salary of $71,311, which is higher than the $53,604 average annual salary of a higher education administrator.

The top three skills for a higher education administrator include syllabus, K-12 and CSU. The most important skills for an athletic director are student athletes, NCAA, and physical education.

Higher education administrator vs athletic director overview

	Higher Education Administrator	Athletic Director
Yearly salary	$53,604	$71,311
Hourly rate	$25.77	$34.28
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	61,760	11,759
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Higher education administrator vs athletic director salary

Higher education administrators and athletic directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Higher Education Administrator	Athletic Director
Average salary	$53,604	$71,311
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $81,000	Between $40,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	-	Alameda, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Kern Community College District
Best paying industry	-	Insurance

Differences between higher education administrator and athletic director education

There are a few differences between a higher education administrator and an athletic director in terms of educational background:

	Higher Education Administrator	Athletic Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Kinesiology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

Higher education administrator vs athletic director demographics

Here are the differences between higher education administrators' and athletic directors' demographics:

	Higher Education Administrator	Athletic Director
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0%	Male, 78.2% Female, 21.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 4.3% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between higher education administrator and athletic director duties and responsibilities

Higher education administrator example responsibilities.

Establish operating policies and procedures and attain SNF Medicare certification.
Perform savings/cost analysis for ductless heat pumps, SQL, and ad-hoc queries.
Ensure ethics, compliance with stringent regulations.
Process adds and changes of PC equipment such as desktops and laptops.
Support end-users PC's and other components by phone, email and in-person, support some.
Present findings formally, as PowerPoint presentation to academic peer group

Athletic director example responsibilities.

Develop and manage an athletic page on facebook.
Manage student transcripts, GPA, and credit verification according to school and CIF rules and regulations.
Manage facility schedules and oversee activities including league basketball and indoor soccer.
Lead project management team in development/execution of conferences and enduring CME -accredite programs.
Develop strategy to revamp locker rooms and improve high school athletic facilities including a new softball field and scoreboard for gym.
Provide athletes with injury prevention information: maintenance exercises, nutrition plans and resources, and develop rehabilitation and treatment protocols.

Higher education administrator vs athletic director skills

Common higher education administrator skills

Syllabus, 28%
K-12, 21%
CSU, 14%
Academic Performance, 8%
Mathematics, 6%
Educational Programs, 5%

Common athletic director skills

Student Athletes, 15%
NCAA, 9%
Physical Education, 7%
Oversight, 6%
Athletic Events, 5%
Varsity Sports, 4%

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Higher Education Administrator
Higher Education Administrator vs Athletic Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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