Career Explorer Management
Changing shape
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.
Changing faster than most: more resilient than 29% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it high), and US jobs are projected to change by +1.8% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on creative vision and emotional intelligence.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $104,590
- Job growth to 2035
- +1.8%
- Openings a year
- 14,500
- People doing it (2025)
- 232,000
- Usual route in
- Master's degree
Where people already use AI for this work
- Advise others on educational or vocational matters
- Advise others on business or operational matters
- Communicate with others about operational plans or activities
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations
- Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes
- Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures
What the work looks like
- Direct activities of administrative departments, such as admissions, registration, and career services.
- Appoint individuals to faculty positions, and evaluate their performance.
- Develop curricula, and recommend curricula revisions and additions.
- Design or use assessments to monitor student learning outcomes.
- Recruit, hire, train, and terminate departmental personnel.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Public relations managersGrows with AI, Index 41, +5.7%
- Chief executivesChanging shape, Index 43, +3.2%
- Sales managersGrows with AI, Index 50, +4.5%
- Human resources managersGrows with AI, Index 68, +5.5%
Also known as: Academic Affairs Vice President (Academic Affairs VP), Academic Dean, Dean, Registrar, Admissions Director, College President, Financial Aid Director, Institutional Research Director.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.