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General Educational Leadership

A program that focuses on the general principles and techniques of administering a wide variety of schools and other educational organizations and facilities, supervising educational personnel at the school or staff level, and that may prepare individuals as general administrators and supervisors. Examples: [Educational Leadership and Policy], [Educational Administration and Policy], [K-12 Educational Leadership], [K-12 Educational Administration], [School Business Management]

Types of Degrees General Educational Leadership Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Educational Leadership may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2
Bachelor’s Degree	262
Master’s Degree	22,951
Doctor’s Degree	6,591

What General Educational Leadership Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Educational Leadership emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Educational Leadership graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Educational Leadership emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a General Educational Leadership program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Educational Leadership graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.6 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Developing and Building Teams	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Educational Leadership professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
ParentSquare	Desktop communications software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Schoology	Computer based training software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	—
Minitab	Analytical or scientific software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Educational Leadership graduates include:

• Testing Director
• Education Director
• Student Services Director
• Education Supervisor
• Extension Work Director
• Educational Program Director
• Principal
• Assessment Coordinator
• Vice Principal
• K-8 School Principal (Kindergarten Through Eighth Grade School Principal)
• Curriculum Director
• Superintendent
• SPED Director (Special Education Director)
• School Principal
• Curriculum and Instruction Superintendent

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	46.0%
Bachelor’s degree	15.4%
Doctoral degree	14.2%
Post-master’s certificate	7.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	4.2%
Some college courses	3.2%
Post-doctoral training	2.7%
Postsecondary certificate	1.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.0%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Educational Leadership?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 72.8% of General Educational Leadership degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	21,698	72.8%
Men	8,108	27.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	17,513	58.8%
Asian	653	2.2%
Hispanic or Latino	3,353	11.2%
Black or African American	5,353	18.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	207	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	51	0.2%
Two or More Races	780	2.6%
Race Unknown	1,429	4.8%
International Students	467	1.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Educational Leadership Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Educational Leadership graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 General Educational Leadership Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for General Educational Leadership. 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
Bachelor’s	3	3
Master’s	251	145
Doctoral (Research)	91	60

^{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 General Educational Leadership Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Educational Leadership 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
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
Superintendency and Educational System Administration	1,056
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.