North Carolina·Management Occupations·SOC 11-9033

Best Education Administrator, Postsecondary programs in North Carolina, 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.

38 schools in North Carolina run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,116 people a year. The job pays a median of $101,060 in North Carolina across about 7,390 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledDeanRegistrarAcademic DeanAcademic Affairs Vice President (Academic Affairs VP)ProvostChancellorCommandantCampus Dean
Graduates / yr
1,116
in North Carolina
Median pay · North Carolina
$101,060
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
7,390
people employed
Schools
38
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
54%
across those schools
Median net price
$23,133
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in North Carolina that lead to this job

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

7 programs in North Carolina that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in North Carolina (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 North Carolina page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1884
79.2%
34$37,480$23,000
297
8.7%
8$37,480$23,000
350
4.5%
2$30,774$17,375
432
2.9%
2$99,851$21,475
527
2.4%
1$99,851$21,475
625
2.2%
2$37,480$23,000
71
0.1%
1$37,480$23,000

Top 25 schools in North Carolina

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 2 of the 38 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Gardner - Webb University
Boiling Springs, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
152Educational Leadership and Administration, General55%$22,86377%
2East Carolina University
Greenville, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
110Educational Leadership and Administration, General63%89%
3University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
105Educational Leadership and Administration, General69%80%
4Central Piedmont Community College
Charlotte, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
79Educational Leadership and Administration, General31%
5North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
76Educational Leadership and Administration, General85%42%
6Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC Public · 3 feeder programs
76Educational Leadership and Administration, General60%82%
7Appalachian State University
Boone, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
60Higher Education/Higher Education Administration75%90%
8Durham Technical Community College
Durham, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
52Clinical Research Coordinator$70,26745%
9University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Greensboro, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
48Educational Leadership and Administration, General56%89%
10High Point University
High Point, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
32Educational Leadership and Administration, General74%$37,07275%
11University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
32Educational Leadership and Administration, General71%64%
12Stanly Community College
Albemarle, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
31Educational Leadership and Administration, General48%
13Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
27Health Professions Education61%$23,33187%
14Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
27Educational Leadership and Administration, General38%82%
15Duke University
Durham, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
23Nursing Education97%$16,2606%
16Queens University of Charlotte
Charlotte, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
19Educational Leadership and Administration, General61%$24,87262%
17Alamance Community College
Graham, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
18Educational Leadership and Administration, General39%
18North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC Public · 2 feeder programs
16Higher Education/Higher Education Administration42%87%
19Wingate University
Wingate, NC Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
15Higher Education/Higher Education Administration46%$21,58591%
20Haywood Community College
Clyde, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
14Educational Leadership and Administration, General34%
21Johnston Community College
Smithfield, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
13Educational Leadership and Administration, General37%
22Salem College
Winston-Salem, NC Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
13Educational Leadership and Administration, General57%$19,41577%
23University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
10Educational Leadership and Administration, General91%15%
24Fayetteville Technical Community College
Fayetteville, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
8Educational Leadership and Administration, General24%
25Surry Community College
Dobson, NC Public · 1 feeder programs
8Educational Leadership and Administration, General6%

All 38 schools in North Carolina

Every school in North Carolina 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 North Carolina that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Gardner - Webb UniversityBoiling SpringsPrivate not-for-profit1521
East Carolina UniversityGreenvillePublic1102
University of North Carolina at CharlotteCharlottePublic1051
Central Piedmont Community CollegeCharlottePublic791
North Carolina State University at RaleighRaleighPublic762
Western Carolina UniversityCullowheePublic763
Appalachian State UniversityBoonePublic602
Durham Technical Community CollegeDurhamPublic522
University of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboroPublic482
High Point UniversityHigh PointPrivate not-for-profit323
University of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmingtonPublic322
Stanly Community CollegeAlbemarlePublic311
Campbell UniversityBuies CreekPrivate not-for-profit271
Fayetteville State UniversityFayettevillePublic271
Duke UniversityDurhamPrivate not-for-profit231

What education administrators, postsecondary earn in North Carolina

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

Median annual in North Carolina
$101,060
Mean annual
$119,160
Jobs in state
7,390
What the range looks like
10th pct$64,490Median$101,06090th pct$185,140
Versus the national median
-3.4%

U.S. median $104,590. North Carolina pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.29×

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

Metro areas in North Carolina

Winston-Salem, NC
$101,770median
360 jobs
Greensboro-High Point, NC
$105,180median
380 jobs
Greenville, NC
$111,510median
300 jobs
Raleigh-Cary, NC
$108,770median
Wilmington, NC
$103,000median
250 jobs
Asheville, NC
$97,730median
160 jobs
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
$93,720median
990 jobs
Rocky Mount, NC
$79,560median
50 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 North Carolina

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 North Carolina.

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 884 degrees in North Carolina in 2024-25, 79.2% 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 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Educational Administration and Supervision, Health Professions Education, Health and Medical Administrative Services. Together they graduate about 1,116 people a year in North Carolina.

How much do education administrators, postsecondary earn in North Carolina?+

The median is $101,060 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.4% below 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 North Carolina?+

38 institutions in North Carolina reported graduates from at least one of the 7 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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