Higher Education/Higher Education Administration

Types of Degrees Higher Education/Higher Education Administration Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many higher education/higher education administration graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	3,339
Doctor’s Degree	949
Graduate Certificate	345

What Higher Education/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

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in higher education/higher education administration should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• 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

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to higher education/higher education administration:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Higher Education/Higher Education Administration Majors

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

• 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/Higher Education Administration Major?

People with a higher education/higher education administration degree often go into the following careers:

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 Master’s Degree in Higher Education/Higher Education Administration?

The major attracts more women than men. About 72% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	138
Black or African American	559
Hispanic or Latino	629
White	1,636
International Students	103
Other Races/Ethnicities	274

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Higher Education/Higher Education Administration, too. About 3.1% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Higher Education/Higher Education Administration

Some careers associated with higher education/higher education administration require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to higher education/higher education administration have obtained the following education levels.

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/Higher Education Administration Programs

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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	1
Bachelor’s Degree	69	28
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	223	61
Post-Master’s	28	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	111	29
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	6	4
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	1

Majors Related to Higher Education/Higher Education Administration

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	31,156
Other Educational Administration & Supervision	2,018
Educational, Instructional, & Curriculum Supervision	1,612
Elementary & Middle School Administration/Principalship	1,278
Superintendency & Educational System Administration	1,225
Urban Education & Leadership	576
Secondary School Administration/Principalship	403
Community College Education	375
Adult & Continuing Education Administration	337
Administration of Special Education	185
Early Childhood Program Administration	78
International School Administration/Leadership	18
Education Entrepreneurship	2

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.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Shai-WMIL under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.