| Degree Required | Bachelor's degree (minimum), Master's degree for work in schools |
| Training Required | Project management, team leadership |
| Key Responsibilities | Develop learning programs, manage funding and create organizational courses |
| Key Skills | Communication, self-reliance |
| Job Growth (2020-2030) | 10% growth* |
| Median Salary (2020) | $66,970* |
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
What Does an Education Coordinator Do?
While working as an education coordinator, you may help develop learning programs, manage funding and create courses for an organization, such as a school, hospital, non-profit organization or learning center. Part of your job may involve managing or working with other people or organizations to build your program. Coordinator positions are available in many different subject areas, so you can choose to work in your area of expertise.
Other job duties may include recruiting instructors, seeking out partnerships and developing a resource center. In new programs, you may serve as the manager with the job of securing the resources, money and people needed to start and run the program.
What Requirements Must I Meet?
You need at least a bachelor's degree to be an education coordinator, according to June 2010 job ads for this position on college and university websites. To coordinate educational programs in a specific field of study, you may need a degree or expertise in that field. For example, to become a coordinator of a program focused on nature, you may need a degree in natural science, wildlife or an environmental field. Employers may give you more consideration if you have a master's degree, experience in curriculum development and skills in website development.
You also need to have experience in project management and team leadership. The job listings also showed that employers may prefer applicants who also have good communication skills and the ability to work independently. Pre-employment screening may include a drug test and criminal background check.
To be an education coordinator in a public school, you also may be required to hold a teaching license and a master's degree. In some states, you may need an administrator's license.
How Much Can I Earn?
As of May 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that most education coordinators earned a median salary of $66,970. The salary for an education coordinator varies depending on the type of employer. For example, PayScale.com reported that most education coordinators for non-profit organizations earned salaries of $30,000-$59,000 as of January 2022. Educational coordinators working in hospitals earned a salary ranging from $45,000 to $93,000 as of January 2021.
If you would rather work directly with students than design curricula, you could become a teacher yourself. For instance, as a high school teacher, you would develop individual lesson plans to instruct students in a particular subject, such as history or physics. This job requires a bachelor's degree and a license if you want to work in a public school. Alternatively, you could consider becoming a principal. In this job, you might have a hand in curriculum development, but you would also have many other administrative duties, like staff supervision and budget management. Principals need to have a master's degree and license for work in public schools.