Higher Education Program Director
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Higher Education Program Director directs one or more programs carried out by a college or university. Often specializes in institutional advancement or engagement.
Job Outlook
There were 23 Higher Education Program Director job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 512 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the College / University Administrator industry, which includes the Higher Education Program Director career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Higher Education Program Director jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $92,554.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $92,554.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Higher Education Program Director postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $78,128.
Education and Experience
Posted Higher Education Program Director jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 9.77% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 53.91% |
| Master's Degree | 65.62% |
| Doctoral Degree | 33.59% |
| Other | 2.54% |
Posted Higher Education Program Director jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 11.45% |
| 3 to 5 years | 70.48% |
| 6 to 8 years | 12.72% |
| 9+ years | 5.34% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Higher Education Program Director positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Leadership (59.96%)
- Management (53.71%)
- Communication (53.52%)
- Research (44.73%)
- Teaching (41.8%)
- Planning (41.6%)
- Writing (30.27%)
- Coordinating (29.1%)
- Operations (27.73%)
- Strategic Planning (25.78%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Program Development (19.23%)
- Student Recruitment (13.08%)
- Program Evaluation (12.82%)
- Curriculum Development (25.38%)
- Higher Education (14.62%)
- Project Management (21.03%)
- Health Sciences (14.1%)
- Student Services (25.64%)
- Nursing (12.56%)
- Fundraising (11.54%)
- Psychology (10.26%)
- Marketing (26.92%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Higher Education Program Director skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- College Director
- Assistant Program Director
- Program Director
- University Program Specialist
- Assistant Professor and Program Director
- Technology Program Director
- Academic Program Director
- Nursing Program Director
- Associate Professor and Program Director
- School Program Director
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Higher Education Associate Dean
- Dean (General)
- Higher Education Administrator
- Higher Education Program Coordinator
- Dean of Academic Affairs
- Campus Director
- Provost
- Elementary and Secondary School Administrator (General)
- Academic / Guidance Counselor
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Higher Education Program Director jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Emory Healthcare (22)
- University of Notre Dame (17)
- Georgetown University (14)
- University of Colorado (13)
- University of Illinois (13)
- University of South Florida (10)
- Boston University (8)
- University of Houston (8)
- Texas Tech University (7)
- University of California (7)
North Carolina
- North Carolina State University (5)
- Atrium Health (4)
- Appalachian State University (3)
- University of North Carolina (2)
- North Carolina A&T State University (2)
- Duke University (2)
- East Carolina University (1)
- Cape Fear Community College (1)
- South Piedmont Community College (1)
- Salem College (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
- Adult and Community College Education Master's Degrees
- Community College Leadership Doctoral Degrees
- Educational Leadership Doctoral Degrees
- Statistics Education Graduate Certificates
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.