Higher education administrator vs director of student affairs

The differences between higher education administrators and directors of student affairs 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 director of student affairs. Additionally, a director of student affairs has an average salary of $74,804, 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 director of student affairs are student affairs, student services, and alumni.

Higher education administrator vs director of student affairs overview

	Higher Education Administrator	Director Of Student Affairs
Yearly salary	$53,604	$74,804
Hourly rate	$25.77	$35.96
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	61,760	22,875
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Higher education administrator vs director of student affairs salary

Higher education administrators and directors of student affairs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Higher Education Administrator	Director Of Student Affairs
Average salary	$53,604	$74,804
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $81,000	Between $44,000 And $125,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Pacifi
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between higher education administrator and director of student affairs education

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

	Higher Education Administrator	Director Of Student Affairs
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Higher education administrator vs director of student affairs demographics

Here are the differences between higher education administrators' and directors of student affairs' demographics:

	Higher Education Administrator	Director Of Student Affairs
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0%	Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8%
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, 11.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 4.4% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between higher education administrator and director of student affairs 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

Director of student affairs example responsibilities.

Provide resources and professional development opportunities to alumni to ensure engagement and a connection to Rasmussen.
Develop yearly FERPA training to increase knowledge and compliance with the law.
Develop CRM, print, website, and social media campaigns to enhance recruitment.
Open new culinary school from initial build-out to include initial program design and approval.
Direct campus through application process, site visits, and approval for institutional ABHES accreditation.
Coordinate events and catering services including divisional meetings, outings, student dinners, and other VPSA events.

Higher education administrator vs director of student affairs skills

Common higher education administrator skills

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

Common director of student affairs skills

Student Affairs, 16%
Student Services, 7%
Alumni, 7%
Professional Development, 6%
Financial Aid, 5%
Student Organizations, 5%

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Higher Education Administrator
Higher Education Administrator vs Director Of Student Affairs

Updated January 8, 2025

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