Student affairs dean vs director of student affairs

The differences between student affairs deans 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 student affairs dean and a director of student affairs. Additionally, a director of student affairs has an average salary of $74,804, 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 director of student affairs are student affairs, student services, and alumni.

Student affairs dean vs director of student affairs overview

	Student Affairs Dean	Director Of Student Affairs
Yearly salary	$61,428	$74,804
Hourly rate	$29.53	$35.96
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	13,641	22,875
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	47	47
Years of experience	6	6

Student affairs dean vs director of student affairs salary

Student affairs deans and directors of student affairs have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Student Affairs Dean	Director Of Student Affairs
Average salary	$61,428	$74,804
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $125,000	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 student affairs dean and director of student affairs education

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

	Student Affairs Dean	Director Of Student Affairs
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Student affairs dean vs director of student affairs demographics

Here are the differences between student affairs deans' and directors of student affairs' demographics:

	Student Affairs Dean	Director Of Student Affairs
Average age	47	47
Gender ratio	Male, 57.0% Female, 43.0%	Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8%
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, 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 student affairs dean and director of student affairs 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.

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.

Student affairs dean vs director of student affairs 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 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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Student Affairs Dean vs Director Of Student Affairs

Updated January 8, 2025

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