Massachusetts·Management Occupations·SOC 11-9033

Best Education Administrator, Postsecondary programs in Massachusetts, ranked by enrollment

Plan, direct, or coordinate student instruction, administration, and services, as well as other research and educational activities, at postsecondary institutions, including universities, colleges, and junior and community.

25 schools in Massachusetts run programs that feed this job, graduating 930 people a year. The job pays a median of $128,970 in Massachusetts across about 9,120 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledDeanRegistrarAcademic DeanAcademic Affairs Vice President (Academic Affairs VP)ProvostChancellorCommandantCampus Dean
Graduates / yr
930
in Massachusetts
Median pay · Massachusetts
$128,970
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
9,120
people employed
Schools
25
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
61%
across those schools
Median net price
$25,074
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Massachusetts that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

5 programs in Massachusetts that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Massachusetts (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Massachusetts page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1648
69.7%
19$37,480$23,000
2140
15.1%
10$37,480$23,000
3105
11.3%
5$99,851$21,475
436
3.9%
1$30,774$17,375
51
0.1%
1$99,851$21,475

Top 25 schools in Massachusetts

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 0 of the 25 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
111Educational Leadership and Administration, General55%87%
2Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
97Higher Education/Higher Education Administration91%$21,12616%
3Worcester State University
Worcester, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
86Educational Leadership and Administration, General61%88%
4Salem State University
Salem, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
77Educational Leadership and Administration, General50%96%
5Boston University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
73Educational Leadership and Administration, General89%$21,95611%
6Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
58Educational Leadership and Administration, General53%88%
7University of Massachusetts - Lowell
Lowell, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
57Educational Leadership and Administration, General65%83%
8University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Amherst, MA Public · 3 feeder programs
44Educational Leadership and Administration, General83%60%
9Framingham State University
Framingham, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
41Educational Leadership and Administration, General48%84%
10College of Our Lady of the Elms
Chicopee, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
40Nursing Education68%$21,98285%
11Northeastern University Professional Programs
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
38Higher Education/Higher Education Administration
12Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
36Clinical Research Coordinator62%$35,35885%
13Bay Path University
Longmeadow, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
32Higher Education/Higher Education Administration44%$16,85985%
14American International College
Springfield, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
27Educational Leadership and Administration, General46%$23,595100%
15Merrimack College
North Andover, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
26Educational Leadership and Administration, General70%$33,87770%
16Cambridge College
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Educational Leadership and Administration, General11%
17Gordon College
Wenham, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Educational Leadership and Administration, General69%$23,07769%
18Endicott College
Beverly, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
12Educational Leadership and Administration, General76%$34,19571%
19Brandeis University
Waltham, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Educational Leadership and Administration, General86%$25,07440%
20William James College
Newton, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
11Educational Leadership and Administration, General
21University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
North Dartmouth, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
10Nursing Education52%91%
22Curry College
Milton, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
6Educational Leadership and Administration, General51%$28,32188%
23Regis College
Weston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Higher Education/Higher Education Administration72%$26,64770%
24University of Massachusetts - Boston
Boston, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
2Educational Leadership and Administration, General49%84%
25Lesley University
Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1Higher Education/Higher Education Administration58%$30,83797%

All 25 schools in Massachusetts

Every school in Massachusetts with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Massachusetts that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Fitchburg State UniversityFitchburgPublic1111
Boston CollegeChestnut HillPrivate not-for-profit972
Worcester State UniversityWorcesterPublic862
Salem State UniversitySalemPublic772
Boston UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit732
Bridgewater State UniversityBridgewaterPublic582
University of Massachusetts - LowellLowellPublic571
University of Massachusetts - AmherstAmherstPublic443
Framingham State UniversityFraminghamPublic412
College of Our Lady of the ElmsChicopeePrivate not-for-profit401
Northeastern University Professional ProgramsBostonPrivate not-for-profit382
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesBostonPrivate not-for-profit361
Bay Path UniversityLongmeadowPrivate not-for-profit321
American International CollegeSpringfieldPrivate not-for-profit271
Merrimack CollegeNorth AndoverPrivate not-for-profit262

What education administrators, postsecondary earn in Massachusetts

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Massachusetts
$128,970
Mean annual
$144,110
Jobs in state
9,120
What the range looks like
10th pct$79,040Median$128,97090th pct$228,410
Versus the national median
+23.3%

U.S. median $104,590. Massachusetts pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
2.16×

Concentrated here: Massachusetts employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Massachusetts

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$131,130median
6,770 jobs
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$109,940median
580 jobs
Worcester, MA
$104,910median
800 jobs
Barnstable Town, MA
$105,810median
90 jobs
Springfield, MA
$107,050median
470 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+1.7%
Little or no change
Openings per year
15,100
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
4,000
226,600 → 230,500
Typical entry education
Master's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Education Administrators, Postsecondary page.

How to become a Education Administrator, Postsecondary

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Master's degree
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Top skills

Critical ThinkingReading ComprehensionWritingActive ListeningMonitoringSpeaking

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Massachusetts

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 11 majors mapped to Education Administrators, Postsecondary8 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 13.0401Educational Leadership and Administration, General
  • 13.0404Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision
  • 13.0406Higher Education/Higher Education Administration
  • 13.0407Community College Administration
  • 13.0412International School Administration/Leadership
  • 51.0719Clinical Research Coordinator
  • 51.3202Health Professions Education
  • 51.3203Nursing Education
  • 52.0214Research Administration(no graduates reported)
  • 61.0207Medical Education Fellowship Program(no graduates reported)
  • 61.0211Simulation Fellowship Program(no graduates reported)

Common questions

Answers for people weighing education administrators, postsecondary programs in Massachusetts.

What degree do you need to become an Education Administrator, Postsecondary?+

Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Educational Leadership and Administration, General, which awarded 648 degrees in Massachusetts in 2024-25, 69.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Education Administrator, Postsecondary?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Educational Administration and Supervision, Health Professions Education, Health and Medical Administrative Services. Together they graduate about 930 people a year in Massachusetts.

How much do education administrators, postsecondary earn in Massachusetts?+

The median is $128,970 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 23.3% above the U.S. median of $104,590. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for education administrators, postsecondary growing?+

BLS projects a +1.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 15,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Massachusetts?+

25 institutions in Massachusetts reported graduates from at least one of the 5 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do education administrators, postsecondary work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Dean, Registrar, Academic Dean, Academic Affairs Vice President (Academic Affairs VP) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 11-9033.

Education Administrators, Postsecondary in other statesTexasIndianaCaliforniaArizonaNew YorkUtahVirginiaMinnesota

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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