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The differences between program management specialists and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $82,591 average annual salary of a program management specialist.
The top three skills for a program management specialist include project management, DOD and powerpoint. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Program Management Specialist | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $82,591 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $39.71 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 152,144 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A project management specialist is responsible for overseeing different programs and projects within a company, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around identifying project needs, participating in setting goals and objectives, managing schedules and budgets, performing risk and cost assessments, and producing progress reports and presentations for the directors and other executives. Furthermore, a project management specialist may also perform research and analysis to find new business opportunities and liaise with clients to generate sales.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Program management specialists and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Management Specialist | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $82,591 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $122,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Worcester, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a program management specialist and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Program Management Specialist | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between program management specialists' and project managers' demographics:
| Program Management Specialist | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.9% Female, 60.1% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |