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.
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. The role reports a median annual salary of $103,960 in the US and is showing modest growth of 2% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a Master's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.52 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £72,192 a year for Head teachers and principals (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £59,307 to £83,623 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2321). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Managers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Education administrators, postsecondary, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 1. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Customer and Personal Service
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Administrative
- Computers and Electronics
- Communications and Media
A day in the life
You start the morning in your office at the college, reviewing emails from faculty, students and senior leaders. At a department meeting you go through student results and assessments, discussing where courses need to change. Mid-morning you meet a student who is unsure about their course choices and help them plan a path towards graduation. You then review the department budget, checking spending on staff, equipment and events. After lunch you interview candidates for a new lecturer position alongside faculty members. In the afternoon you work on the institution's long-term plan, drafting ideas for new programmes and policies. Late in the day you handle a complaint from a staff member and agree next steps. Committees and paperwork can take up much of your time. But when a new programme you helped create welcomes its first students, or a struggling student graduates, you feel real pride.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- 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.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Education administrators, postsecondary do?
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.
What does a typical day look like in Education administrators, postsecondary?
You start the morning in your office at the college, reviewing emails from faculty, students and senior leaders. At a department meeting you go through student results and assessments, discussing where courses need to change. Mid-morning you meet a student who is unsure about their course choices and help them plan a path towards graduation. You then review the department budget, checking spending on staff, equipment and events.
How much does Education administrators, postsecondary earn?
The median annual salary for Education administrators, postsecondary in the US is $103,960.
What is the job outlook for Education administrators, postsecondary?
The role is showing modest growth of 2% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 226,600 workers.
How do I become education administrators, postsecondary?
The typical entry education is a Master's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Education administrators, postsecondary need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking, Writing. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Education administrators, postsecondary?
Our AI-durability model gives Education administrators, postsecondary a score of 0.52 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Education administrators, postsecondary has high barrier to entry — highly gated — a graduate degree or extended training/apprenticeship is typically required.