Higher education administrator vs department chairperson

The differences between higher education administrators 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 higher education administrator and a department chairperson. Additionally, a department chairperson has an average salary of $98,438, 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 a department chairperson are curriculum development, professional development, and classroom management.

Higher education administrator vs department chairperson overview

	Higher Education Administrator	Department Chairperson
Yearly salary	$53,604	$98,438
Hourly rate	$25.77	$47.33
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	61,760	33,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Higher education administrator vs department chairperson salary

Higher education administrators and department chairpeople have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Higher Education Administrator	Department Chairperson
Average salary	$53,604	$98,438
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $81,000	Between $50,000 And $191,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Marshall University
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between higher education administrator and department chairperson education

There are a few differences between a higher education administrator and a department chairperson in terms of educational background:

	Higher Education Administrator	Department Chairperson
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Education
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Higher education administrator vs department chairperson demographics

Here are the differences between higher education administrators' and department chairpeople' demographics:

	Higher Education Administrator	Department Chairperson
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
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, 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 higher education administrator and department chairperson 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

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.

Higher education administrator vs department chairperson skills

Common higher education administrator skills

Syllabus, 28%
K-12, 21%
CSU, 14%
Academic Performance, 8%
Mathematics, 6%
Educational Programs, 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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Higher Education Administrator
Higher Education Administrator vs Department Chairperson

Updated January 8, 2025

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