Student affairs dean vs department chairperson

The differences between student affairs deans 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 student affairs dean and a department chairperson. Additionally, a department chairperson has an average salary of $98,438, which is higher than the $61,428 average annual salary of a student affairs dean.

The top three skills for a student affairs dean include student affairs, student life and student conduct. The most important skills for a department chairperson are curriculum development, professional development, and classroom management.

Student affairs dean vs department chairperson overview

	Student Affairs Dean	Department Chairperson
Yearly salary	$61,428	$98,438
Hourly rate	$29.53	$47.33
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	13,641	33,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Student affairs dean vs department chairperson salary

Student affairs deans and department chairpeople have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Student Affairs Dean	Department Chairperson
Average salary	$61,428	$98,438
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $125,000	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 student affairs dean and department chairperson education

There are a few differences between a student affairs dean and a department chairperson in terms of educational background:

	Student Affairs Dean	Department Chairperson
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Education
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Student affairs dean vs department chairperson demographics

Here are the differences between student affairs deans' and department chairpeople' demographics:

	Student Affairs Dean	Department Chairperson
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 4.2% 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 student affairs dean and department chairperson duties and responsibilities

Student affairs dean example responsibilities.

Experience in the support of transition and retention strategies for multicultural student populations to address differentials in attrition and retention.
Participate in AQIP activities, committees and action learning projects.

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.

Student affairs dean vs department chairperson skills

Common student affairs dean skills

Student Affairs, 13%
Student Life, 8%
Student Conduct, 6%
Title IX, 5%
Student Services, 5%
Student Learning, 4%

Common department chairperson skills

Curriculum Development, 15%
Professional Development, 14%
Classroom Management, 13%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Student Learning, 5%
Colleges, 4%

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Student Affairs Dean vs Department Chairperson

Updated January 8, 2025

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