Program director vs department chairperson

The differences between program directors 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 program director and a department chairperson. Additionally, a department chairperson has an average salary of $98,438, which is higher than the $80,664 average annual salary of a program director.

The top three skills for a program director include oversight, social work and patients. The most important skills for a department chairperson are curriculum development, professional development, and classroom management.

Program director vs department chairperson overview

	Program Director	Department Chairperson
Yearly salary	$80,664	$98,438
Hourly rate	$38.78	$47.33
Growth rate	8%	7%
Number of jobs	82,810	33,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	40	47
Years of experience	6	6

What does a program director do?

Program directors are employees who oversee all aspects of a specific program in the company. They usually work in nonprofit organizations or are assigned to a department doing corporate social responsibility activities. Program directors ensure that the program is in line with the company's goals. They also ensure that the resources assigned to the program are properly managed and that all finances are accounted for. They create strategies to ensure the success of the program and communicate these to everyone involved. They lead the implementation and evaluation of the program.

What does a department chairperson do?

A Department Chairperson is a faculty member who provides academic and administrative leadership to an academic department. They exercise leadership in recruiting and retaining capable faculty, communicate departmental needs and desires to the Dean and Provost, and coordinate the academic advisement process.

Program director vs department chairperson salary

Program directors and department chairpeople have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Program Director	Department Chairperson
Average salary	$80,664	$98,438
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $129,000	Between $50,000 And $191,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Georgia	California
Best paying company	Mayo Clinic	Marshall University
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between program director and department chairperson education

There are a few differences between a program director and a department chairperson in terms of educational background:

	Program Director	Department Chairperson
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Education
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Program director vs department chairperson demographics

Here are the differences between program directors' and department chairpeople' demographics:

	Program Director	Department Chairperson
Average age	40	47
Gender ratio	Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	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	14%	16%

Differences between program director and department chairperson duties and responsibilities

Program director example responsibilities.

Manage personnel performing SAS programming, technical document preparation and quality assurance.
Manage program budgets and supervise staff to ensure that immunization and registry activities are successfully implement.
Manage direct support professionals serving adult populations for persons with mental health, developmental disabilities and children with autism.
Manage day-to-day oversight and management involving planning, programming, execution, distribution, and analysis for assign organizations budgets.
Implement client ADL, ISP, and behavior plans in a group home.
Organize schedule for swim lessons and kids camp.

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.

Program director vs department chairperson skills

Common program director skills

Oversight, 9%
Social Work, 6%
Patients, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Mental Health, 5%
Program Management, 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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Program Director
Program Director vs Department Chairperson

Updated January 8, 2025

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