Best degree programs for Education Administrators, Postsecondary, ranked by enrollment
8 college programs and 856 schools train Education Administrators, Postsecondary. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $104,590 median wage, 180,470 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
8 college programs at 856 schools train education administrators, postsecondary, graduating 42,640 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Educational Leadership and Administration, General. The job pays a median of $104,590 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About education administrators, postsecondary
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 colleges.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
8 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 13.0401 | 31,615 | 74.1% | 708 | $37,480 | $23,000 |
| 2 | CIP 13.0406 | 4,257 | 10.0% | 258 | $37,480 | $23,000 |
| 3 | CIP 51.3203 | 3,970 | 9.3% | 161 | $99,851 | $21,475 |
| 4 | CIP 13.0404 | 1,918 | 4.5% | 78 | $37,480 | $23,000 |
| 5 | Community College Administrationmain feeder CIP 13.0407 | 375 | 0.9% | 28 | $37,480 | $23,000 |
| 6 | CIP 51.0719 | 342 | 0.8% | 25 | $30,774 | $17,375 |
| 7 | CIP 51.3202 | 141 | 0.3% | 18 | $99,851 | $21,475 |
| 8 | CIP 13.0412 | 22 | 0.1% | 4 | $37,480 | $23,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What education administrators, postsecondary earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $104,390 | 16,660 | 1.02× | 58 | 4,403 |
| Indiana | $98,000 | 3,370 | 0.91× | 22 | 2,649 |
| California | $125,460 | 14,870 | 0.70× | 56 | 2,347 |
| Arizona | $103,280 | 5,140 | 1.37× | 12 | 2,328 |
| New York | $139,640 | 7,280 | 0.65× | 53 | 2,093 |
| Utah | $100,420 | 2,320 | 1.15× | 9 | 2,090 |
| Virginia | $120,840 | — | — | 20 | 1,820 |
| Minnesota | $104,740 | 2,110 | 0.62× | 17 | 1,789 |
| Pennsylvania | $103,740 | 8,000 | 1.14× | 55 | 1,530 |
| Florida | $83,840 | — | — | 32 | 1,436 |
| Georgia | $110,200 | 2,890 | 0.51× | 20 | 1,347 |
| Illinois | $99,770 | 9,530 | 1.35× | 31 | 1,300 |
| Tennessee | $100,850 | 2,680 | 0.70× | 24 | 1,250 |
| Missouri | $104,560 | 2,830 | 0.83× | 23 | 1,154 |
| North Carolina | $101,060 | 7,390 | 1.29× | 38 | 1,116 |
| New Jersey | $131,570 | 4,100 | 0.82× | 19 | 945 |
| Massachusetts | $128,970 | 9,120 | 2.16× | 25 | 930 |
| Kentucky | $114,310 | 890 | 0.38× | 16 | 916 |
| Oklahoma | $105,830 | 1,700 | 0.86× | 13 | 802 |
| Ohio | $87,370 | 6,880 | 1.07× | 27 | 792 |
| Mississippi | $86,590 | 2,230 | 1.65× | 9 | 772 |
| Michigan | $108,500 | 5,110 | 1.00× | 24 | 696 |
| Alabama | $100,030 | 3,760 | 1.53× | 15 | 682 |
| Maryland | $118,550 | — | — | 16 | 631 |
| Wisconsin | $124,960 | 1,190 | 0.35× | 18 | 624 |
| Louisiana | $98,840 | 3,670 | 1.64× | 14 | 493 |
| Connecticut | $123,190 | 2,100 | 1.07× | 11 | 492 |
| Kansas | $110,020 | 1,760 | 1.05× | 13 | 446 |
| Nebraska | $96,030 | 1,560 | 1.31× | 11 | 416 |
| Colorado | $118,440 | 1,770 | 0.53× | 13 | 403 |
| South Carolina | $95,570 | 2,990 | 1.12× | 15 | 401 |
| Iowa | $89,320 | 2,510 | 1.39× | 11 | 368 |
| Oregon | $120,110 | 2,790 | 1.22× | 10 | 355 |
| Washington | $127,630 | 2,140 | 0.52× | 13 | 337 |
| Delawaremoderate | $128,570 | 360 | 0.65× | 3 | 314 |
| District of Columbia | $107,390 | 1,880 | 2.31× | 6 | 311 |
| Arkansas | $78,240 | 1,970 | 1.30× | 9 | 280 |
| Maine | $88,180 | 860 | 1.16× | 6 | 221 |
| West Virginia | $84,660 | 1,520 | 1.87× | 9 | 209 |
| New Hampshire | $104,190 | 920 | 1.16× | 9 | 192 |
| New Mexico | $109,480 | 1,160 | 1.15× | 6 | 132 |
| Idahomoderate | $101,200 | 870 | 0.88× | 4 | 126 |
| North Dakotamoderate | $101,600 | 600 | 1.20× | 4 | 91 |
| Montanamoderate | $102,980 | 300 | 0.50× | 3 | 80 |
| Hawaiilimited | $81,020 | 570 | 0.78× | 2 | 78 |
| South Dakota | $126,160 | 240 | 0.45× | 6 | 75 |
| Nevadamoderate | $88,810 | 1,320 | 0.73× | 3 | 74 |
| Rhode Islandmoderate | $106,520 | 1,140 | 1.97× | 3 | 59 |
| Alaskalimited | $103,080 | 80 | 0.21× | 2 | 48 |
| Wyominglimited | $127,960 | 120 | 0.37× | 1 | 35 |
| Vermontlimited | $104,450 | 550 | 1.55× | 1 | 24 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Design or use assessments to monitor student learning outcomes.
- Recruit, hire, train, and terminate departmental personnel.
- Direct, coordinate, and evaluate the activities of personnel, including support staff engaged in administering academic institutions, departments, or alumni organizations.
- Advise students on issues such as course selection, progress toward graduation, and career decisions.
- Plan, administer, and control budgets, maintain financial records, and produce financial reports.
- Formulate strategic plans for the institution.
- Establish operational policies and procedures and make any necessary modifications, based on analysis of operations, demographics, and other research information.
- Provide assistance to faculty and staff in duties such as teaching classes, conducting orientation programs, issuing transcripts, and scheduling events.
Skills
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Writing4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Monitoring4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Active Learning3.9
- Learning Strategies3.8
Knowledge areas
- English Language4.3
- Administration and Management4.2
- Education and Training4.1
- Customer and Personal Service4.1
- Personnel and Human Resources3.4
- Administrative3.3
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.1
- Written Expression4.1
- Problem Sensitivity4.1
- Oral Expression4.1
- Inductive Reasoning4.0
- Speech Clarity4.0
Core activities
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.7
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.4
- Getting Information4.4
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.4
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work4.3
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.2
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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)
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 31,615 degrees in 2024-25, 74.1% 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 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Educational Administration and Supervision, Health Professions Education, Health and Medical Administrative Services. Together they graduate about 42,640 people a year.
How much do education administrators, postsecondary earn?+
The median is $104,590 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $64,560 at the 10th percentile to $215,620 at the 90th. 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?+
856 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 8 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.
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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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