FIVE REWARDING ADMINISTRATIVE JOBS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Updated December 8, 2022 · 2 Min Read

There are many worthy admin jobs in higher education. Join us as we explore five great administrative positions in many colleges and universities.

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Higher Education Administrative Jobs

  • Academic Advisors
  • Student Activities Director
  • Financial Aid Advisor
  • Admissions
  • Human Resources

There are plenty of positions available in higher education that don't involve teaching students. Admin jobs in higher education include clerks, advisors and HR managers. The various departments will need workers to interact with students and provide a welcoming environment for students.

Academic Advisors

An academic advisor provides students to plan their courses based on their ultimate goal. They can help with registration as well as referring them to a financial aid advisor who can help those who don't have the money for college. The academic advisor helps with students entering campus life for the first time. They will also advise students who are struggling by providing referrals to other college resources or helping them identify problems in their planned courses. Often, the advisor will send the student to more specific resources within the school depending on their need. For example, a student who is having a hard time completing coursework might need to see a professional at the health service center because he or she can't sleep.

Student Activities Director

A director in this area of college life will plan and execute student activities and programs for the students. The director will work with students as well as other members of faculty like the accounting department or marketing and student recruitment. The director will brainstorm with others in the department to plan activities that will benefit the students. It could be health fairs, homecoming celebrations or musical events. Once the event is planned, the director will work with other departments like the accounting department to plan the budget as well as the marketing department to plan how to tell others about the activities. The director will work with the faculty that handles student recruitment too. Students love to see a college that holds fun or informative events.

Financial Aid Advisor

The financial aid clerk works under a financial aid coordinator to provide financial services to students. They will counsel students and perform income verification to provide loan or financial aid to qualified students. The advisor has to know how to deal with government agencies and understand their guidelines and the eligibility process when it comes to grants and loans. The clerk might work specifically with one area of financial aid. This specialty could be student screening, appeals or training for other advisors. The clerk must be able to deal with students as well as parents. The advisor will be working with financial data and the federal criteria for loan disbursement too.

Admissions

In the admissions department, there are clerks who will help students fill out all their paperwork for attending the college. While they can't help with the financial aid portion, they will take individual payments from the student or parents for classes. They'll advise the student on course choices if they see a problem too. Ultimately, it's their job to assist students in filling out their college admission forms and perform interviews in some cases. The admissions department will respond to student and parent questions regarding the enrollment process as well as maintain the database of students currently enrolled and those who are incoming. The admission department has control of who will enter the college based on their application, essays, interviews and other criteria.

Human Resources

While the hiring of an instructor or teacher will fall to the college administrator and the head of the department, other positions within the college are advertised and interviewed by the human resources department. The HR department will be responsible for cutting paychecks as well as administering health insurance information and providing details regarding special college benefits and compensation. If they don't handle the paychecks themselves, they'll work with the company that has been entrusted with the task.

Aside from the professors, there are many admin jobs in higher education that help the college run smoothly. After graduation from college, many people will have such admiration for the college itself that they'll want to work there in some capacity. You don't have to be a teacher to be part of the college administration.

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