Program advisor vs program/project manager

The differences between program advisors and program/project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a program/project manager has an average salary of $101,850, which is higher than the $55,656 average annual salary of a program advisor.

The top three skills for a program advisor include customer service, persistence and intellectual disabilities. The most important skills for a program/project manager are project management, program management, and PMP.

Program advisor vs program/project manager overview

	Program Advisor	Program/Project Manager
Yearly salary	$55,656	$101,850
Hourly rate	$26.76	$48.97
Growth rate	10%	16%
Number of jobs	109,307	243,017
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	42	47
Years of experience	-	-

What does a program advisor do?

A program advisor is in charge of overseeing programs from planning to execution, ensuring everything functions according to its goals and guidelines. Although their responsibilities depend on their line of work and industry of employment, it typically involves performing research and analysis to find new opportunities and determine ideal practices, gathering and analyzing client feedback, setting objectives, and developing strategies to carry out the purpose of every program, prioritizing optimal services. Moreover, a program advisor must monitor the progress of all operations, recommending solutions should any problems arise.

What does a program/project manager do?

The program manager and project manager are two important positions within a company that are thought to be similar. However, program managers direct diverse projects and programs while project managers head the team who is responsible for ensuring a project is completed on time and within budget. Program managers are responsible for the conveyance of the company goals and generally act as a customer interface that helps clients get their desired update and change of a project. Project managers, on the other hand, focus on the project's schedule, scope, and resources needed to complete it on time.

Program advisor vs program/project manager salary

Program advisors and program/project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Program Advisor	Program/Project Manager
Average salary	$55,656	$101,850
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $96,000	Between $74,000 And $138,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Apple	Meta
Best paying industry	Technology	Professional

Differences between program advisor and program/project manager education

There are a few differences between a program advisor and a program/project manager in terms of educational background:

	Program Advisor	Program/Project Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Program advisor vs program/project manager demographics

Here are the differences between program advisors' and program/project managers' demographics:

	Program Advisor	Program/Project Manager
Average age	42	47
Gender ratio	Male, 44.8% Female, 55.2%	Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	11%	10%

Differences between program advisor and program/project manager duties and responsibilities

Program advisor example responsibilities.

Study and implement marketing through Facebook and other various websites which generate sales leads.
Manage UAFS's F-1/J-1 student visa SEVIS compliance as DSO/ARO, ensuring all documentation is in order prior to students arriving.
Train office staff and first-year graduate assistant on proper usage of PeopleSoft software.
Determine eligibility for WIOA training funds (unemploy, under employed/food stamp program).
Interview and investigate applicants for WIOA services and gather information pertinent to their applications.
Help develop resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles for students at the college.

Program/project manager example responsibilities.

Plan and manage infrastructure installations and enterprise hardware and software upgrades of classify systems while balancing resources to manage troubleshooting/maintenance actions.
Facilitate daily scrum meetings and collaborate with product owners to prioritize and manage backlog.
Utilize SharePoint, the company's document repository engine to manage access and documentation reviews.
Manage, monitors and measures project portfolio status, recommending corrective action as necessary and communicate portfolio status to their management.
Promote to positions base on demonstrate skills in business analysis, project management, portfolio management and customer relationship management.
Provide program and project management support for applications and infrastructure systems monitoring as well as enhancements and maintenance of existing systems.

Program advisor vs program/project manager skills

Common program advisor skills

Customer Service, 29%
Persistence, 11%
Intellectual Disabilities, 8%
Veterans, 8%
Project Management, 5%
PowerPoint, 4%

Common program/project manager skills

Project Management, 18%
Program Management, 7%
PMP, 6%
Status Reports, 5%
Infrastructure, 4%
Portfolio, 4%

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Program Advisor vs Program/Project Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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