How To Become An Assistant Program Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is an assistant program director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.

Program directors are the brains behind the success of an organization's program. Such a crucial role cannot be played without the assistance of supporting professionals, like assistant program directors. After all, program directors have many responsibilities and bear the heavy burden of running a program successfully. They deserve some help from their assistants to feel more relaxed and perform their duties well.

Besides assisting program directors in organizing events, assistant program directors extend their services to support the firm's business operations and functions. They coordinate with numerous suppliers and third-party vendors to accomplish the program's objectives and goals. Assistants might be asked to do administrative tasks and ensure that a program doesn't exceed its defined budget.

This ever-growing field can enable you to earn $25.07 per hour. That's a salary of over $52,000 on a full-time schedule. Candidates must have at least a bachelor's degree in business or psychology to qualify for this job post. Assistant program directors are often found working in a wide range of industries, including education, social work, administration, and medical.

What's a day at work look like for an assistant program director?

Meaghan Goodman Ph.D.

Program Director & Assistant Professor, Maryville University

A bachelor's in communication sciences and disorders can prepare you for three different tracks. First, it can prepare you to become a licensed Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA). This is someone who works under a fully credential speech-language pathologist. Often times, they carryout intervention plans developed by a fully credentialed speech-language pathologist. If graduate school is on your horizon, a bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders will prepare you for acceptance into a Speech-Language Pathology program, or an Audiology program. If you are not accepted into a graduate program right away, working as a speech-language pathology assistant (SLPA) is a great way to get experience in the field!

ScoreAssistant Program DirectorUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,138

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 6.38%

Black or African American 7.91%

Hispanic or Latino 14.54%

Unknown 5.59%

White 65.42%

Gender

female 58.68%

male 41.32%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an assistant program director

Explore assistant program director education requirements

Most common assistant program director degrees

Bachelor's

63.7 %

Master's

18.0 %

Associate

9.8 %

Start to develop specific assistant program director skills

Skills	Percentages
Mental Health	8.17%
Oversight	7.90%
Social Work	7.15%
CPR	6.71%
Professional Development	5.09%

Complete relevant assistant program director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New assistant program directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an assistant program director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real assistant program director resumes.

Gain additional assistant program director certifications

Assistant program director certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific assistant program director certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for assistant program directors include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research assistant program director duties and responsibilities

Manage direct support professionals serving adult populations for persons with mental health, developmental disabilities and children with autism.
Provide direct oversight of all program operations to ensure contract compliance, revenue enhancement, program development and quality assurance.
Perform first aid and CPR when necessary
Direct training classes for aides to become CPR certify.

Get assistant program director experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become an assistant program director. The most common roles before becoming an assistant program director include internship, program director team lead and case manager.

Prepare your assistant program director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your assistant program director resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an assistant program director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable assistant program director resume templates

Build a professional assistant program director resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your assistant program director resume.