Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between program coordinators and administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a program coordinator, becoming an administrative assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a program coordinator has an average salary of $45,068, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for a program coordinator include customer service, patients and social work. The most important skills for an administrative assistant are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.
| Program Coordinator | Administrative Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $45,068 | $34,945 |
| Hourly rate | $21.67 | $16.80 |
| Growth rate | 12% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 102,464 | 65,769 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4.14 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 43 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Program coordinators are mid-level employees who are assigned to work on a program of a specific department. They handle the communications between their department and any other department that they may need to collaborate with. They coordinate action plans and activities to ensure that the departments are aligned. They are present during the planning stage for the program so that they will be familiar with action items. They are directly involved in the implementation by liaising with the involved departments. Program coordinators should have good communication skills, interpersonal skills, and organization skills.
Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.
Program coordinators and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Coordinator | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average salary | $45,068 | $34,945 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $63,000 | Between $26,000 And $46,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Westfield State University |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a program coordinator and an administrative assistant in terms of educational background:
| Program Coordinator | Administrative Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between program coordinators' and administrative assistants' demographics:
| Program Coordinator | Administrative Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 7.1% White, 54.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 6% |