How To Become A Program/Project Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a program/project manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Angela Grotto Ph.D.,

Dr. Daryl Green

A program manager coordinates several projects, making sure their timing and goals align and benefit the overall enterprise. Project managers usually oversee the daily operations of a single project but depending on the individual structure of a business, a project manager might take on the role of a program manager as well.

Program managers focus on the bigger picture and are entrusted with developing long term goals for the future development of the organization. Managing budgets, planning, and writing proposals for funding applications are some of their many duties.

To be considered for the position of a program and project manager, you need a degree in business management or a related field. You will be meeting and consulting stakeholders, so communication skills are a must, and as you will work supervising various teams, leadership abilities will take you a long way.

What general advice would you give to a program/project manager?

Angela Grotto Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Management, Manhattan College

When job searching, be active and persistent - Network by setting up Zoom informational calls with professionals (alumni, people with whom your family work) to learn about jobs that you are interested in or to learn about organizations where you would like to work and then follow up with them; have someone you trust who is a professional review your resume and social media profile pages; carve out time every day to apply to jobs; use Handshake and LinkedIn as a resource; keep sending out applications; while job searching, volunteer or start your business project that showcases your skillset and then discuss it during your interviews.
When interviewing, be creative - Use experiences from your academic career to demonstrate your capabilities. There are many skills you learn in class that are transferrable to the professional world. For example, as a student, you likely had to pivot to full remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, discuss how the new learning format has prepared you to work remotely as an employee, how small group projects have primed you to collaborate on a virtual team, and how small classes have equipped you to use technology such as Zoom.
When deciding on a job offer, be open-minded - Your first job may not be the one you had imagined or hoped for upon graduation. Still, it may be a stepping stone to your ideal career or a way to build your network of professional connections. You create meaningful and valuable relationships with others who may one day help you get the job you want.
When you land the job, be flexible - Show your employer or your boss that you're willing to step outside your comfort zone and do tasks that you were not necessarily trained for or are unrelated to your degree. Also, when circumstances at work change, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, show that you are willing to step up and do a different job, do someone else's job, or work on another project or team. This flexibility will demonstrate your versatility and how you can adapt to new and unpredictable situations. Lastly, embrace the "gig" economy - be willing to start as a temporary or contract worker with a company to get your foot in the door and build more professional connections.

ScoreProgram/Project ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $101,850

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 8.90%

Black or African American 7.54%

Hispanic or Latino 12.63%

Unknown 4.69%

White 65.57%

Gender

female 37.98%

male 62.02%

Age - 47

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 - 47

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a program/project manager

Explore program/project manager education requirements

Most common program/project manager degrees

Bachelor's

66.5 %

Master's

20.8 %

Associate

9.1 %

Start to develop specific program/project manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	18.04%
Program Management	7.08%
PMP	6.22%
Status Reports	4.70%
Infrastructure	4.35%

Research program/project manager duties and 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.

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