How To Become A Program Evaluator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a program evaluator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Catherine Annis Ph.D.

Program evaluators can be found in every industry. But whether they're in health care, education, or even the military--they all have to do one main thing, and that's to evaluate programs. They systematically go through an organization's training programs, management programs, and any other initiatives, searching for weaknesses and points for improvement. They take the information gathered during the program's duration to conduct a rigorous data analysis.

Most employers require their program evaluators to have a bachelor's degree at least. American Program evaluators commonly major in business, public health, social work, or psychology. Because this is a high-skill position, many of them take the time to establish their expertise by pursuing a master's degree in their field.

The average Program evaluator working in the United States earns a yearly salary of $54,000. That's more or less $26 an hour. However, top earners can make as much as $71,000 in the right company. Employers like the Logistics Management Institute, the University of Nebraska Omaha, and the Greater Rochester International Airport pay their Program evaluators a competitive salary of $58,000 or more on average.

What general advice would you give to a program evaluator?

Catherine Annis Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Website

The jobs that pay top dollar in the public sector are leadership positions or highly specialized roles, so it is important to focus on building your credentials. Utilize resources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to easily explore careers by salary, field of degree, education requirements, predicted job growth, and more. Identify and target the jobs you might want early on. Build experience in the content, skills, and experience that will make you a strong candidate for the job. Keep track of instances where you made a positive impact and demonstrated performance success for future job applications and interviews!

ScoreProgram EvaluatorUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $55,579

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.28%

Asian 6.74%

Black or African American 12.63%

Hispanic or Latino 24.35%

Unknown 5.28%

White 48.71%

Gender

female 70.72%

male 29.28%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a program evaluator

Explore program evaluator education requirements

Most common program evaluator degrees

Bachelor's

52.6 %

Master's

19.8 %

Associate

10.6 %

Start to develop specific program evaluator skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Collection	11.01%
Program Evaluation	10.90%
Eligibility Determination	9.65%
Data Analysis	5.50%
SPSS	3.86%

Complete relevant program evaluator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New program evaluators 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 a program evaluator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real program evaluator resumes.

Research program evaluator duties and responsibilities

Serve as data analyst, proficient in SPSS.
Collect the data and analyze it using SPSS.
Maintain current with both FAA and CSR complex set of guidelines, requirements, protocols, and policy.
Determine eligibility for FAA programs.

Prepare your program evaluator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your program evaluator 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 a program evaluator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable program evaluator resume templates

Build a professional program evaluator 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 program evaluator resume.