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Secondary School Administration

A program that focuses on educational administration at the junior high, secondary, or senior high school (7-12) levels and prepares individuals to serve as principals and masters of secondary schools. Includes instruction in secondary school education, program and facilities planning, budgeting and administration, public relations, human resources management, adolescent growth and development, counseling skills, applicable law and regulations, school safety, policy studies, and professional standards and ethics.

Types of Degrees Secondary School Administration Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Secondary School Administration may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	459
Doctor’s Degree	1

What Secondary School Administration Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Secondary School Administration develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Secondary School Administration graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Secondary School Administration emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Speaking — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Judgment and Decision Making — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Secondary School Administration careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Secondary School Administration graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.9 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.7 / 7
Developing and Building Teams	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.6 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.5 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	4.4 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Secondary School Administration professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Minitab	Analytical or scientific software	—
Thinc Technologies Virtual School	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Google Gmail	Electronic mail software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—
Intrado SchoolMessenger	Mobile messaging service software	—
Common Curriculum	Computer based training software	—
eDistrict Internet Solutions eDistrict Unified	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Robust Software Overseer Suite	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing software	—
Google Calendar	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Rethink Ed	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Secondary School Administration graduates include:

• Student Services Coordinator
• K-12 Principal (Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade Principal)
• Vice Principal
• Education Supervisor
• Curriculum Director
• Title I Director
• Educational Program Director
• School Principal
• Secondary School Principal
• High School Principal (HS Principal)
• Special Services Director
• SPED Superintendent (Special Education Superintendent)
• School Business Manager
• K-12 School Principal (Kindergarten Through Twelfth Grade School Principal)
• Mother Superior

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	60.7%
Bachelor’s degree	23.7%
Post-master’s certificate	15.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Secondary School Administration?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 71.5% of Secondary School Administration degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	329	71.5%
Men	131	28.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	337	73.3%
Asian	3	0.7%
Hispanic or Latino	16	3.5%
Black or African American	86	18.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.9%
Two or More Races	2	0.4%
Race Unknown	10	2.2%
International Students	2	0.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Secondary School Administration Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Secondary School Administration 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 Secondary School Administration Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Secondary School 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	13	3
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{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 Secondary School Administration Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Secondary School 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
Superintendency and Educational System Administration	1,056
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.