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Education and Training | Higher Education Program Director

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 3 Higher Education Program Director job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 139 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 $108,949.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $108,949.

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 $93,942.

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 LevelPercentage
Associate's Degree0%
Bachelor's Degree51.8%
Master's Degree61.87%
Doctoral Degree20.86%
Other7.19%

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 ExperiencePercentage
0 to 2 years13.27%
3 to 5 years68.37%
6 to 8 years14.29%
9+ years4.08%

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 (66.19%)
  • Communication (59.71%)
  • Management (51.8%)
  • Research (46.04%)
  • Planning (38.85%)
  • Coordinating (33.09%)
  • Teaching (28.78%)
  • Operations (26.62%)
  • Writing (25.9%)
  • Strategic Planning (22.3%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

  • Marketing (25%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

  • Student Services (24.04%)
  • Student Recruitment (17.31%)
  • Academic Advising (12.5%)
  • Program Development (16.35%)
  • Fundraising (14.42%)
  • Social Work (6.73%)
  • Curriculum Development (18.27%)
  • Higher Education (10.58%)
  • Health Sciences (4.81%)
  • Program Evaluation (12.5%)
  • Project Management (31.73%)
  • Psychology (6.73%)

Alternative Job Titles

Sometimes employers post jobs with Higher Education Program Director skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:

  • Program Director
  • College Director
  • Technology Program Director
  • Grant Program Director
  • Director of College and Career Readiness
  • School Program Director
  • Academic Program Director
  • Americorps Program Director
  • Dialogue Editor
  • Director of Psychology

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.

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

  • Georgetown University (13)
  • University of Illinois (7)
  • Emory Healthcare (6)
  • University of Cincinnati (5)
  • Improve Your Tomorrow (4)
  • Clark University (3)
  • Tufts University (3)
  • Roger Williams University (3)
  • Ashland University (3)
  • Northwestern University (2)

North Carolina

  • Duke University (2)
  • Atrium Health (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!