Pennsylvania·Management Occupations·SOC 11-9033

Best Education Administrator, Postsecondary programs in Pennsylvania, 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.

55 schools in Pennsylvania run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,530 people a year. The job pays a median of $103,740 in Pennsylvania across about 8,000 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledDeanRegistrarAcademic DeanAcademic Affairs Vice President (Academic Affairs VP)ProvostChancellorCommandantCampus Dean
Graduates / yr
1,530
in Pennsylvania
Median pay · Pennsylvania
$103,740
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
8,000
people employed
Schools
55
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
63%
across those schools
Median net price
$25,146
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Pennsylvania that lead to this job

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

7 programs in Pennsylvania that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Pennsylvania (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 Pennsylvania page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
11,060
69.3%
42$37,480$23,000
2282
18.4%
19$37,480$23,000
3102
6.7%
7$37,480$23,000
447
3.1%
2$30,774$17,375
529
1.9%
11$99,851$21,475
68
0.5%
1$37,480$23,000
72
0.1%
2$99,851$21,475

Top 25 schools in Pennsylvania

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 3 of the 55 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
200Educational Leadership and Administration, General97%$22,0555%
2Point Park University
Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
168Educational Leadership and Administration, General$78,43059%$23,70497%
3Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
132Educational Leadership and Administration, General78%$36,00479%
4Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
106Educational Leadership and Administration, General79%$34,41889%
5Immaculata University
Immaculata, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
101Educational Leadership and Administration, General71%$26,94186%
6West Chester University of Pennsylvania
West Chester, PA Public · 3 feeder programs
84Educational Leadership and Administration, General71%78%
7Pennsylvania Western University
California, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
71Educational Leadership and Administration, General52%94%
8University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
56Educational Leadership and Administration, General85%58%
9Pennsylvania State University - World Campus
University Park, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
55Higher Education/Higher Education Administration$100,73734%91%
10Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
44Educational Leadership and Administration, General57%$25,84390%
11Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
44Educational Leadership and Administration, General63%$27,08291%
12Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
37Educational Leadership and Administration, General56%91%
13Holy Family University
Philadelphia, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
36Educational Leadership and Administration, General61%$12,16371%
14Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg, PA Public · 1 feeder programs
34Educational Leadership and Administration, General54%93%
15Delaware Valley University
Doylestown, PA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
34Educational Leadership and Administration, General56%$25,40293%
16Temple University
Philadelphia, PA Public · 3 feeder programs
34Higher Education/Higher Education Administration75%80%
17Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
33Educational Leadership and Administration, General88%$26,91226%
18Arcadia University
Glenside, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Educational Leadership and Administration, General67%$23,79680%
19Eastern University
Saint Davids, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
16Educational Leadership and Administration, General54%$25,14691%
20Gratz College
Jenkintown, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Educational Leadership and Administration, General
21Neumann University
Aston, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
15Educational Leadership and Administration, General54%$28,75381%
22Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus
University Park, PA Public · 2 feeder programs
15Higher Education/Higher Education Administration$100,73786%61%
23Carlow University
Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
14Nursing Education60%$19,95387%
24Gannon University
Erie, PA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
13Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision66%$21,40974%
25Duquesne University
Pittsburgh, PA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
12Higher Education/Higher Education Administration77%$32,06084%

All 55 schools in Pennsylvania

Every school in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit2002
Point Park UniversityPittsburghPrivate not-for-profit1681
Drexel UniversityPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit1323
Saint Joseph's University - PhiladelphiaPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit1062
Immaculata UniversityImmaculataPrivate not-for-profit1012
West Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest ChesterPublic843
Pennsylvania Western UniversityCaliforniaPublic711
University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh CampusPittsburghPublic562
Pennsylvania State University - World CampusUniversity ParkPublic552
Gwynedd Mercy UniversityGwynedd ValleyPrivate not-for-profit443
Wilkes UniversityWilkes-BarrePrivate not-for-profit442
Indiana University of PennsylvaniaIndianaPublic371
Holy Family UniversityPhiladelphiaPrivate not-for-profit361
Commonwealth University of PennsylvaniaBloomsburgPublic341
Delaware Valley UniversityDoylestownPrivate not-for-profit342

What education administrators, postsecondary earn in Pennsylvania

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

Median annual in Pennsylvania
$103,740
Mean annual
$126,610
Jobs in state
8,000
What the range looks like
10th pct$71,150Median$103,74090th pct$209,530
Versus the national median
-0.8%

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

Job concentration
1.14×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Pennsylvania

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$117,980median
4,330 jobs
Erie, PA
$105,910median
110 jobs
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
$102,370median
410 jobs
Reading, PA
$114,260median
110 jobs
Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA
$104,970median
240 jobs
Pittsburgh, PA
$98,320median
1,840 jobs
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA
$102,000median
250 jobs
York-Hanover, PA
$99,830median
40 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 Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania.

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 1,060 degrees in Pennsylvania in 2024-25, 69.3% 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 and Medical Administrative Services, Health Professions Education. Together they graduate about 1,530 people a year in Pennsylvania.

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

The median is $103,740 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.8% 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 Pennsylvania?+

55 institutions in Pennsylvania 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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