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Higher Education Administration Major

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Higher Education Administration

1 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
3,686 Master's Degrees Annually
#78 in Popularity
$89,570 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Higher Education Administration Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many higher education/higher education administration graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Master’s Degree 3,686
Doctor’s Degree 663
Graduate Certificate 345
Associate Degree 11
Undergraduate Certificate 3
Bachelor’s Degree 1

What Higher Education Administration Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to higher education/higher education administration were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration Majors

Higher Education/Higher Education Administration majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration Majors

When studying higher education/higher education administration, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

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  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration Majors

As a higher education/higher education administration major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Higher Education Administration Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with higher education/higher education administration:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Distance Learning Coordinators 10.7% $82,850
Postsecondary Education Administrators 10.1% $94,340

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Higher Education Administration?

1 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
100% Percent Women
100% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of higher education/higher education administration majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 0
Black or African American 0
Hispanic or Latino 1
White 0
International Students 0
Other Races/Ethnicities 0

How Much Do Higher Education Administration Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $89,570 to $111,210 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to higher education/higher education administration. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Higher Education Administration Major  ( 89570 to 111210 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with higher education/higher education administration require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for higher education/higher education administration careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree 14.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 1.6%
Master’s Degree 53.5%
Doctoral Degree 25.6%
Post-Doctoral Training 4.6%

Online Higher Education Administration Programs

In 2020-2021, 264 schools offered a higher education/higher education administration program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 1 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 1 0
Bachelor’s Degree 62 21
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 200 51
Post-Master’s 30 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 100 20
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 3 2
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 2 2

Is a Degree in Higher Education Administration Worth It?

The median salary for a higher education/higher education administration grad is $89,570 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 124% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $993,400 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to higher education/higher education administration.

Major Number of Grads
General Educational Leadership & Administration 32,837
Other Educational Administration & Supervision 2,247
Educational, Instructional, & Curriculum Supervision 1,727
Elementary & Middle School Administration/Principalship 1,572
Superintendency & Educational System Administration 1,107
Urban Education & Leadership 736
Adult & Continuing Education Administration 462
Secondary School Administration/Principalship 452
Community College Education 354
Administration of Special Education 186
Early Childhood Program Administration 70
International School Administration/Leadership 10
Education Entrepreneurship 0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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