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The differences between product planners and master schedulers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a product planner and a master scheduler. Additionally, a product planner has an average salary of $94,669, which is higher than the $77,733 average annual salary of a master scheduler.
The top three skills for a product planner include product development, product planning and product line. The most important skills for a master scheduler are customer service, MRP, and program management.
| Product Planner | Master Scheduler | |
| Yearly salary | $94,669 | $77,733 |
| Hourly rate | $45.51 | $37.37 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 85,346 | 23,353 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Product planner positions require a battery of skills, including decisiveness, stress management, leadership, organization, communication, statistics, business operations, computer literacy, and problem-solving, to name a few. Those who choose this career will be required to involve internally-focused decisions, steps, and tasks necessary to develop a successful product.
A master scheduler is in charge of overseeing and developing a company's overall production schedule, ensuring quality and workforce adherence. Their responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients to determine their needs, developing daily schedules and objectives, disseminating scheduling notices, and conducting regular inspections to ensure the completion of projects in a timely and efficient manner. Furthermore, a master scheduler must produce progress reports and encourage workforce members to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
Product planners and master schedulers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Planner | Master Scheduler | |
| Average salary | $94,669 | $77,733 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $124,000 | Between $59,000 And $101,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Apple | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a product planner and a master scheduler in terms of educational background:
| Product Planner | Master Scheduler | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between product planners' and master schedulers' demographics:
| Product Planner | Master Scheduler | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.2% Female, 42.8% | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |