Administrators of Post-Secondary Education

Description

Colleges and universities are complex organizations. They can have thousands of students and hundreds of faculty (that's the teaching staff). There are student records to keep, classes to schedule, curricula to develop. It could be one big mess unless kept in good order by administrators. They provide direction, leadership, and management of various departments at colleges, universities, and vocational training schools.

Administrators at universities or colleges may be involved with the faculty or with students. Faculty administrators look after the academic side of things--planning curricula, recruiting and hiring staff, directing research, managing budgets, and more. Registrars take care of the student side of things–managing academic records, running registration and scheduling. Other university and college administrators, such as deans, may be involved in planning, fundraising, student life, health services, etc.

At private vocational training schools like hairdressing schools or private business colleges, administrators may have a wider range of duties. Depending on the size of the school, they may act as managers of the business side of things as well as controlling the teaching side.

Specific duties

Here are some of the duties of university and college faculty administrators:

• organize academic and related activities of a college or university faculty (that's the teaching staff) and participate in activities of various faculty and college committees
  
• recommend and approve faculty appointments (hire the teaching staff)
  
• direct activities such as research and curriculum development, recommend curriculum revisions and approve scheduling of courses
  
• control budgets for projects, programs, support services and equipment
  
• advise president or rector of university or college.
  

These are some of the duties of university and college registrars:

• control the registration activities and academic records system of a college or university
  
• review registration statistics and consult with faculty officials to develop registration policies
  
• direct activities of staff and others engaged in compiling information on courses, schedules and requirements for admission and graduation.
  

And administrators of vocational training schools perform some of the following duties:

• organize the activities of a private college or institute specializing in trades, technology or business
  
• develop curriculum for training programs
  
• consult with government agencies to meet provincial standards
  
• control budgets for projects, programs, support services and equipment
  
• may recruit and hire teachers and other staff, and may teach classes.
  

Related careers

You might be also be interested in these careers that have similar educational and/or training requirements, or that share similar duties.

• Education Policy Administrators
• Health, Education & Community Services Managers
• School Principals
• University Professors

High school path

A CareerMATTERS consultant suggests these high school courses would be helpful. They are not pre-requisites to post secondary programs, nor are they necessary to obtain employment. You should consult with your school counsellor to make the best choices for your own career path.

Recommended Courses
Grade 9	Grade 10	Grade 11	Grade 12
English
ENG1D English, Grade 9, Academic or ENG1P English, Grade 9, Applied	ENG2D English, Grade 10, Academic or ENG2P English, Grade 10, Applied	ENG3U English, Grade 11, University Preparation	ENG4U English, Grade 12, University Preparation
Math
MFM1P Foundations of Mathematics, Grade 9, Applied or MPM1D Principles of Mathematics, Grade 9, Academic	MFM2P Foundations of Mathematics, Grade 10, Applied or MPM2D Principles of Mathematics, Grade 10, Academic	MCR3U Functions, Grade 11, University Preparation	MDM4U Mathematics of Data Management, Grade 12, University Preparation
Science
SNC1D Science, Grade 9, Academic or SNC1P Science, Grade 9, Applied	SNC2D Science, Grade 10, Academic or SNC2P Science, Grade 10, Applied	SBI3U Biology, Grade 11, University Preparation or SCH3U Chemistry, Grade 11, University Preparation or SNC3M Science, Grade 11, University/College Preparation or SPH3U Physics, Grade 11, University Preparation	SBI4U Biology, Grade 12, University Preparation or SCH4U Chemistry, Grade 12, University Preparation or SES4U Earth and Space Science, Grade 12, University Preparation or SNC4M Science, Grade 12, University/College Preparation or SPH4U Physics, Grade 12, University Preparation
Optional
BTT1O, BTT2O Information and Communication Technology in Business, Grade 9 or 10, Open	BDP3O Entrepreneurship: The Enterprising Person, Grade 11, Open or BTA3O Information and Communication Technology: The Digital Environment, Grade 11, Open or HSP3M Introduction to Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology, Grade 11, University/College Preparation	BBB4M International Business Fundamentals, Grade 12, University/College Preparation or BOH4M Business Leadership: Management Fundamentals, Grade 12, University/College Preparation or HSB4M Challenge and Change in Society, Grade 12, University/College Preparation

* some universities may require a student to have a second language

* most Business Administration courses require a student to have a calculus credit for admission

Post-secondary options

• These are definitely not entry-level positions! You'll need lots of education (your high school diploma and usually college or university) and several years of related work experience.
  
• If you want to be a faculty administrator, you will need a university graduate degree in a field related to the academic faculty you wish to lead. You'll also need several years of experience as a university or college professor.
  
• To become a registrar, you'll need an undergraduate degree in business administration or a related field and several years of experience in registration administration.
  
• If you want to run a vocational training school you'll need either an undergraduate degree in business administration or you'll need to become an expert with certification in the subject specialty of your school.
  

There may be several different paths to a career. Post-secondary education or training programs will help, but they are not a guarantee. You should research your options carefully before deciding on any program of study. Click here for a comparison chart of institutions or accreditations.

The following programs offered at Ontario post-secondary institutions may be helpful in pursuing a career in this field. In addition to the institutions listed here, please refer to "For more information" (at left) for a list of organizations and associations that may also offer programs of study.

Institution	Programs offered
University
Algoma University	Business Administration (B.B.A.)
Brock University	Business Administration (B.B.A.) Business Administration (M.B.A) Business Administration Co-op (B.B.A.)
Carleton University	Business Administration (M.B.A.)
Lakehead University	Business (B.Admin., Honours B.Comm.) Business Administration (College Transfer Program) - 1 year
McMaster University	Business Administration (M.B.A.) Business Administration (Ph.D.)
Nipissing University	Business Administration (B.B.A., Honours B.B.A.)
Royal Military College of Canada	Business Administration (B.A., Honours B.A.)
Trent University	Business Administration (Honours B.B.A., Honours B.A., Honours B.Sc.)
University of Guelph	Business Administration (M.B.A.)
University of Guelph-Humber	Business Administration (Honours B.B.A./Diploma in Business Admin.)

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Career path

Wondering how you could prepare for a career in this field? Or what else you might do once you have some experience?

Faculty administrators get there after years of teaching at a college or university. With many more years of experience as an administrator they can progress to senior management positions such as university or college president. Registrars may have business experience as well as experience in a college or university registrar's office.

Administrators of vocational training schools can get there from many different directions. They may have business experience or they may be experts in the field of study (for example an experienced welding teacher could become administrator at a private welding school). Or they might start their own school, in which case they created their own path to the administrative job!

Employers

These are examples of the places, businesses and industries that employ people in this field:

private vocational schools
colleges
universities

Work environment

These jobs entail a lot of responsibility. That can mean a lot of stress! But the positions can also be very rewarding–you'll be contributing to the educational success of many students. Because of the demanding nature of the work, some administrators work more than 40 hours per week. Some of those hours will be in the evening or on weekends when there are special school activities to oversee.

Common job titles

Also Known As....

Community college dean
Dean–university or college
Dean of adult education
Dean of the Faculty of Science
Dean–school of nursing
School of Technology Dean
Manager–aviation school
Business School Manager
Manager–trade school
Registrar–community college
Student activities dean
University registrar

For more information

Links to associations, organizations, unions and other places that may be able to provide more information.

• Canadian Institute of Management