University relations director vs communications manager

The differences between university relations directors and communications managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a university relations director and a communications manager. Additionally, a university relations director has an average salary of $95,885, which is higher than the $81,304 average annual salary of a communications manager.

The top three skills for a university relations director include marketing campaigns, project management and investor relations. The most important skills for a communications manager are customer service, property management, and yardi.

University relations director vs communications manager overview

	University Relations Director	Communications Manager
Yearly salary	$95,885	$81,304
Hourly rate	$46.10	$39.09
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	23,143	26,350
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a university relations director do?

University Relations Directors manage the company's partnership with schools. They are employed by companies with businesses that cater to universities, colleges, or other related academic institutions. They handle the group that works as account managers or act as account managers themselves. They are in charge of setting their department's targets. They also create strategies to meet their goals. University Relations Directors should have a wide network. They should know how to create professional relationships with clients, maintain clients, and ensure customer loyalty. University Relations Directors should be familiar with the current trends in the academe and their business field.

What does a communications manager do?

A communications manager is responsible for overseeing a company or organization's public relations by devising various strategies and finding new opportunities. They must craft and produce marketing materials such as campaigns, advertisements, newsletters, social media engagements, and press releases to shape and improve a brand or company. Furthermore, a communications manager must accomplish administrative tasks such as preparing reports and necessary documentation, reaching out to advertisers, leading communication letters, and coordinating with marketing personnel from other departments.

University relations director vs communications manager salary

University relations directors and communications managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	University Relations Director	Communications Manager
Average salary	$95,885	$81,304
Salary range	Between $56,000 And $163,000	Between $53,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Nevada	California
Best paying company	Nike	McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between university relations director and communications manager education

There are a few differences between a university relations director and a communications manager in terms of educational background:

	University Relations Director	Communications Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Southern California

University relations director vs communications manager demographics

Here are the differences between university relations directors' and communications managers' demographics:

	University Relations Director	Communications Manager
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 51.7% Female, 48.3%	Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 5.1% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between university relations director and communications manager duties and responsibilities

University relations director example responsibilities.

Draft all shareholder communications and 1993 annual report/Form 10-K; manage registrar/transfer agent activities and relationship with NASDAQ.
Experience in managing stock splits, odd-lot buybacks, proxy fights, annual meetings, litigation settlements and securities offerings.
Hire, train and manage play-by-play broadcasters guaranteeing a professional and informative listening experience.
Initiate and execute successful programs to encourage alumni attendance, involvement and donations.
Maintain CRM database used for benefactor tracking, financial reporting and marketing-driven fundraising efforts.
Establish automation and integration with CRM databases that enable accurate audience segmentation and time responses.

Communications manager example responsibilities.

Co-administered sales campaigns in Salesforce, CRM to efficiently manage sales productivity of communication and leads.
Lead and manage marketing department's copywriting and editing team and develop many aspects of corporate communication.
Manage creative agency relationships and lead execution of commercial excellence awards program, Americas mid-year growth summit and kick-off meetings.
Manage all Medicaid paperwork, manage staff payroll, client attendance.
Manage all facets of community programs and recruitment for HIV prevention clinical trials.
Train in YARDI to complete daily transitions, manage resident ledgers and prepare weekly/monthly reports.

University relations director vs communications manager skills

Common university relations director skills

Marketing Campaigns, 25%
Project Management, 22%
Investor Relations, 7%
Investment Community, 4%
Website Content, 3%
Professional Development, 3%

Common communications manager skills

Customer Service, 16%
Property Management, 9%
Yardi, 5%
Project Management, 5%
Press Releases, 4%
Web Content, 4%

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University Relations Director
University Relations Director vs Communications Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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