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Educational System Administration

A program that focuses on leading and managing multi-school educational systems and school districts and prepares individuals to serve as systems administrators and district superintendents. Includes instruction in educational administration; education of students at various levels; system planning and budgeting; educational policy; educational law and regulations; public relations; professional standards and ethics; and applications to specific issues, cultural context, and geographic locales.

Types of Degrees Educational System Administration Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Educational System Administration have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	858
Doctor’s Degree	198

What Educational System Administration Majors Need to Know

Studies in Educational System Administration develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Educational System Administration graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Educational System Administration emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Educational System Administration program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Educational System Administration careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Educational System Administration graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.7 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Developing and Building Teams	4.5 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.4 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Educational System Administration professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
ParentSquare	Desktop communications software	—
ACS Technologies HeadMaster	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Bloomz	Desktop communications software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Seasia Consulting School Wizard	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
SchoolDESX	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Educational System Administration graduates include:

• Testing Director
• Education Supervisor
• Principal
• Educational Program Director
• Assessment Coordinator
• Vice Principal
• Education Director
• Pupil Personnel Program Director
• K-12 Principal (Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade Principal)
• K-12 School Principal (Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade School Principal)
• Curriculum Director
• SPED Admin (Special Education Administrator)
• Superintendent
• Headmaster
• School Superintendent

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Educational System Administration graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	44.8%
Bachelor’s degree	20.2%
Post-master’s certificate	11.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	8.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	6.8%
Some college courses	5.2%
Postsecondary certificate	1.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Educational System Administration?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65% of Educational System Administration degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	686	65.0%
Men	370	35.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Educational System Administration graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	753	71.3%
Asian	12	1.1%
Hispanic or Latino	70	6.6%
Black or African American	155	14.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	9	0.9%
Two or More Races	22	2.1%
Race Unknown	29	2.7%
International Students	6	0.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Educational System Administration Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Educational System Administration graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$65,211
4 years	$67,022
5 years	$74,441

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $74,441 — roughly 14% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Educational System Administration Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Educational System Administration. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	9	3
Doctoral (Research)	3	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Educational System Administration Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Educational System Administration graduates earn a median of $67,022 four years after completion — roughly 76% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Educational Administration and Supervision	42,255
Educational Leadership and Administration, General	29,806
Higher Education/Higher Education Administration	4,404
Educational Administration and Supervision, Other	1,941
Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision	1,682
Elementary and Middle School Administration/Principalship	1,258
Secondary School Administration/Principalship	460
Community College Administration	335
Adult and Continuing Education Administration	330
Administration of Special Education	228
Early Childhood Program Administration	104
International School Administration/Leadership	22

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.