Becoming a Contract Administrator via Online Education?

At the very least, online education can help you lay a foundation and/or open up alternate career paths. Ashford University, one of the highest ranking online schools, is a US school (accredited) offering business administration courses to train individuals to become top-notch business administration professors, business leaders, business executives, business administrators, chief executive officers, executive vice presidents, etc. Currently, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics there are 35,630 people employed as compensation and benefits managers alone in America, and their average annual salary is $95,230. Human resources managers make on average $105,510 per year and there are about 62,990 of them employed today. Colleges and universities like Ashford University that provide online education are successfully launching workers into this field.

Typical Work Locations for a Contract Administrator
  • Government office
  • Hospital
  • University
  • Construction company
  • Accounting firm
  • Manufacturing company
  • Energy provider
  • Investment firm
  • Research institution
  • Biotechnology company
Potential Advantages and Benefits of Working as a Contract Administrator
  • Establish and maintain interpersonal relationships
  • Represent companies in negotiating contracts
  • Work in team environment
  • Use computer and wide variety of software
  • Indoor work
  • File and retrieve corporate documents, records, and reports
  • Think critically
  • Make decisions and solve problems
  • Work collaboratively
  • Freedom to make decisions
Potential Drawbacks
  • Importance of being exact and accurate
  • Requires excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Repetitive tasks
  • Requires aptitude for working with computers
  • Requires good organization skills
  • Use strong reasoning ability
  • Knowledge of laws and government
  • Requires attention to detail
  • Frequency of decision making
  • Spend time sitting
Related Professions to Consider
  • Secretary
  • Pensions Administrator
  • Purchasing Agent
  • Financial Adviser
  • Administrative Assistant
  • Management Analyst
  • Risk and Insurance Adviser
  • Project Manager
  • Office Manager
  • Human Resource Specialist
Possible Interview Questions When Applying to be a Contract Administrator
  • What experience have you had in contract negotiations?
  • What questions should you ask prior to hiring a consultant?
  • In which situations would you use a fixed price contract versus a price and time contract?
  • What is your educational background?
  • What factors would you consider in determining the appropriate hourly rate on a contract?
  • How do you handle conflict resolution?
  • What are your weaknesses and strengths?
  • Tell us about a contract that you have successfully administered.?
  • Why are you interested in this organization?
  • Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
Common Collaborating Professions
  • Secretary
  • Human Resource Specialist
  • Procurement Clerk
  • Municipal Clerk
  • Management Analyst
  • Training and Development Manager
  • Transportation Manager
  • Lawyer
  • Medical and Health Service Manager
  • Administrative Assistant
Contract Administrator Training books Contract Administrator (More) Popular books Potential Companies to Work For Common College Majors
  • Human Relations
  • Principles of Contracts
  • Communications
  • Contractual Provisions Affecting Implementation
  • Political Science
  • Economics
  • Dispute Resolution
  • Mathematics
  • Risk Allocation
  • Claims and Change Orders

Contract Administrator Salary Information

Category: Compensation and benefits managers

Total # Employed in the US 35,630
Average Hourly Wage: $45.78/hr
Hourly Wage Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$24.32 $31.97 $42.33 $55.37 $71.34
Average Yearly Salary $95,230
Yearly Salary Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$50,590 $66,510 $88,050 $115,180 $148,390
Employment Demographics
% OF WORKERS WITH
< High School Diploma High School Diploma Some College Associate Degree Bachelor Degree Master Degree Doctoral Degree
2.3% 12.5% 21.7% 7.4% 36.3% 17.8% 2.0%
Compensation and benefits managers — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
STATEAverage Hourly WageAverage Annual Salary
Virginia $65.33/hr $135,900
North Dakota $58.4/hr $121,470
Nebraska $57.28/hr $119,130
Oklahoma $54.17/hr $112,670
Missouri $52.69/hr $109,600
Hawaii $51.61/hr $107,350
Colorado $50.72/hr $105,500
Oregon $50.66/hr $105,380
District of Columbia $50.39/hr $104,810
Connecticut $49.14/hr $102,210
Utah $47.7/hr $99,210
Wyoming $47.38/hr $98,560
New Hampshire $46.52/hr $96,760
Idaho $46.2/hr $96,100
Montana $45.06/hr $93,730
Florida $43.92/hr $91,350
Tennessee $43.17/hr $89,790
South Carolina $42.44/hr $88,280
New Mexico $41.26/hr $85,830
Arkansas $41.24/hr $85,790
Mississippi $41.22/hr $85,740
Puerto Rico $41.18/hr $85,640
North Carolina $40.75/hr $84,750
California $40.42/hr $84,070
Delaware $40.41/hr $84,040
Kansas $40.15/hr $83,510
Maine $40.1/hr $83,410
New Jersey $39.17/hr $81,480
Alabama $38.79/hr $80,670
Guam $37.92/hr $78,880
Washington $37.75/hr $78,530
Michigan $37.63/hr $78,280
Kentucky $37.31/hr $77,600
New York $37.28/hr $77,550
Louisiana $36.98/hr $76,920
Pennsylvania $36.07/hr $75,040
Ohio $35.48/hr $73,790
Indiana $35.19/hr $73,180
Massachusetts $34.87/hr $72,530
Iowa $34.74/hr $72,250
Nevada $34.16/hr $71,050
Wisconsin $33.85/hr $70,400
Maryland $33.35/hr $69,370
South Dakota $29.81/hr $61,990


Category: Human resources managers, all other

Total # Employed in the US 62,990
Average Hourly Wage: $50.73/hr
Hourly Wage Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$28.12 $35.81 $46.42 $61.19 $78.98
Average Yearly Salary $105,510
Yearly Salary Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$58,490 $74,480 $96,550 $127,270 $164,270
Employment Demographics
% OF WORKERS WITH
< High School Diploma High School Diploma Some College Associate Degree Bachelor Degree Master Degree Doctoral Degree
2.3% 12.5% 21.7% 7.4% 36.3% 17.8% 2.0%
Human resources managers, all other — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
STATEAverage Hourly WageAverage Annual Salary
District of Columbia $66.34/hr $137,990
North Dakota $62/hr $128,960
Florida $60.83/hr $126,530
Colorado $58.87/hr $122,450
Missouri $58.49/hr $121,660
Wyoming $54.34/hr $113,030
Virginia $54.02/hr $112,360
Nebraska $53.58/hr $111,440
Mississippi $53.54/hr $111,370
Connecticut $52.46/hr $109,120
Oklahoma $51.71/hr $107,550
Kansas $51.67/hr $107,480
Oregon $51.6/hr $107,320
Delaware $51.38/hr $106,880
Utah $51.29/hr $106,680
Tennessee $50.1/hr $104,210
South Carolina $50.03/hr $104,050
Montana $50.03/hr $104,060
Puerto Rico $49.9/hr $103,790
North Carolina $49.35/hr $102,640
New Hampshire $48.63/hr $101,150
Idaho $48.62/hr $101,130
Louisiana $46.08/hr $95,840
Hawaii $45.07/hr $93,740
Alaska $44.65/hr $92,860
New York $43.89/hr $91,300
Nevada $43.74/hr $90,980
Washington $43.22/hr $89,890
Alabama $43.14/hr $89,740
Maine $43.02/hr $89,480
Guam $42.08/hr $87,520
New Mexico $41.81/hr $86,970
Maryland $40.68/hr $84,620
Arkansas $40.56/hr $84,360
Wisconsin $40.09/hr $83,380
California $40/hr $83,200
Indiana $39.42/hr $82,000
Kentucky $39.19/hr $81,510
Iowa $39.07/hr $81,260
West Virginia $38.69/hr $80,480
Michigan $38.67/hr $80,440
Pennsylvania $36.82/hr $76,580
Ohio $35.46/hr $73,760
New Jersey $34.66/hr $72,080
Massachusetts $34/hr $70,710
South Dakota $29.29/hr $60,930


Category: Business operations specialists, all other

Total # Employed in the US 1,036,450
Average Hourly Wage: $31.71/hr
Hourly Wage Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$15.77 $21.27 $29.14 $39.05 $50.65
Average Yearly Salary $65,960
Yearly Salary Range
PERCENTILE
10%25%50%75%90%
$32,800 $44,240 $60,610 $81,220 $105,350
Employment Demographics
% OF WORKERS WITH
< High School Diploma High School Diploma Some College Associate Degree Bachelor Degree Master Degree Doctoral Degree
1.9% 15.5% 23.1% 11.6% 32.3% 12.9% 2.7%
Business operations specialists, all other — WAGES BY STATE, SORTED BY SALARY
STATEAverage Hourly WageAverage Annual Salary
Florida $41.93/hr $87,210
Mississippi $36.61/hr $76,160
Montana $35.28/hr $73,380
Alaska $34.51/hr $71,790
Oklahoma $34.42/hr $71,590
Alabama $34.24/hr $71,230
Delaware $33.67/hr $70,030
Connecticut $33.23/hr $69,120
Colorado $33.23/hr $69,110
North Dakota $33.19/hr $69,030
Missouri $32.88/hr $68,390
Idaho $32.87/hr $68,380
Wyoming $32.76/hr $68,150
Utah $32.5/hr $67,600
Ohio $32.27/hr $67,130
Virginia $31.54/hr $65,600
Kansas $30.71/hr $63,880
Maine $30.63/hr $63,700
Arkansas $30.53/hr $63,500
Puerto Rico $30.27/hr $62,970
Guam $30.19/hr $62,800
Wisconsin $30.09/hr $62,590
South Dakota $30.02/hr $62,440
Oregon $29.67/hr $61,710
Hawaii $29.45/hr $61,260
West Virginia $29.44/hr $61,230
Pennsylvania $29.4/hr $61,150
District of Columbia $29.34/hr $61,030
South Carolina $29.25/hr $60,850
Indiana $29.17/hr $60,680
New Hampshire $29.06/hr $60,450
Kentucky $28.81/hr $59,910
New Mexico $28.31/hr $58,880
Nevada $28.03/hr $58,310
New York $27.98/hr $58,210
Michigan $27.88/hr $57,980
California $27.73/hr $57,680
Tennessee $27.72/hr $57,660
Maryland $27.69/hr $57,590
Iowa $26.92/hr $55,980
Washington $26.91/hr $55,970
North Carolina $26.57/hr $55,270
Massachusetts $26.38/hr $54,880
New Jersey $25.67/hr $53,400
Louisiana $25.52/hr $53,090
Nebraska $25.5/hr $53,040


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