How To Become A Student Dean: What It Is and Career Path

What is a student dean and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Student deans are responsible for coordinating student-related programs and respond to students' needs at a college or university. They help students with academic issues and communicate with the students and teachers alike, earning an average salary of $60,000 per year or $28 per hour.

Student deans oversee services provided to students, which includes financial aid, housing, health services, and extracurricular projects. They collaborate with different departments and stay up to date on relevant issues affecting the department. They may coordinate health services and social programs for the students and may serve as a point of information. Due to the nature of the job, their interpersonal, organizational, and problem-solving skills need to be top-notch.

Student deans have a bachelor's or master's degree in education administration or a related field from an accredited institution. Since it is a job that requires an ample level of professionalism, most employers prefer to hire student deans with a minimum of five years of experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

ScoreStudent DeanUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $59,497

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.1

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 4.38%

Black or African American 11.86%

Hispanic or Latino 14.35%

Unknown 4.01%

White 64.71%

Gender

female 38.82%

male 61.18%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a student dean

Explore student dean education requirements

Most common student dean degrees

Bachelor's

55.9 %

Master's

32.4 %

Associate

4.6 %

Start to develop specific student dean skills

Skills	Percentages
Behavior Issues	9.41%
Staff Development	7.49%
Crisis Intervention	5.99%
Student Achievement	4.92%
Progress Monitoring	4.58%

Complete relevant student dean training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New student deans learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a student dean based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real student dean resumes.

Research student dean duties and responsibilities

Implement recruitment efforts with local schools and colleges.
Assist with tours of various HBCU and non-HBCU colleges and universities.
Foster a positive school culture through oversight of social activities including talent shows, prep rallies and community meetings.
Provide comprehensive oversight and direction.

Prepare your student dean resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your student dean resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a student dean resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable student dean resume templates

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