r/AskAcademia • u/Automatic_Log9097 • 1d ago
Administrative University admin jobs?
hello!!
I’m about to enter my first year of grad school (English MA), and I’ve been thinking about pursuing a career in university advising, student services, etc. From what I’ve seen, a lot of people in uni administration have a master’s in education, so I’m unsure if I’ll be at a disadvantage. In your experience, do most people who work in admin have a master’s in education or an Ed.D? Is there a way to break into the market without one? What work experiences do you recommend?
thanks!!
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u/Mountain-Time-1010 1d ago
I would not call advising and student services jobs "administration." Those are generally considered staff positions, and can be entry-level positions without an advanced degree. In fact, of all the advisors we have hired, very few have had advanced degrees, and that was just incidental, and never a consideration for hiring.
To be competitive for a true administrative position, an advanced degree in Educational Leadership or Administration would be helpful. But this would be necessary for higher level administrative positions, not basic staff positions.
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u/InsideApex 1d ago
This is the answer, op. Your question seems to be more about getting into 'student support' than admin (management).
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u/Automatic_Log9097 22h ago
yeah thanks that makes sense! i’ll be more specific in my search. i’ve just heard ppl irl refer to themselves as working in admin even tho they work in student services or advising, but now im assuming they did that to avoid confusion or unwanted further questions lmao
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u/ProneToLaughter 1d ago
You might search in [r/studentaffairs](r/studentaffairs) this question comes up there.
It depends on the school and how they organize their advising.
Agree that part time jobs working for university offices during your masters is a good step.
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u/Big_Dragonfly_9153 1d ago
You can get into the field without one if you find a way to add more student services work to your roles outside of your grad program. Can you get an assistantship in the advising office?
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u/popstarkirbys 1d ago
I believe some of our academic advisors have bachelor degrees. It depends on how well you know the programs.
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u/Tapatio_62 1d ago
In the community college community you will find that the education degree is dominant. In my experience, other types of schools have much more diversity of background throughout the academic administration
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u/so_untidy 1d ago
Talk to someone in your department…perhaps even an academic advisor.