Also called: AD, Director of Athletics
Leads a college's entire athletic department: coaches, budgets, facilities, compliance, and fundraising.
An AD might hire a new football coach, meet with donors about a new stadium, deal with conference realignment, and attend three games in one weekend. Division I ADs manage budgets of $100M+.
Estimate. Small-college ADs may earn under $100k; major Division I ADs earn $1M+.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 12 years after high school. Master's in sports administration or business plus years of athletics administration.
Ways in: Graduate school, On-the-job training. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Sports Management, Business Administration, Education Administration.
Growing about average. Few positions; steady turnover.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps with budgets and compliance tracking; leading coaches, fundraising and campus politics stay human.
Classes: Business or FBLA, Physical education, Speech and debate.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9033.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.