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The differences between program research specialists and product specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a program research specialist and a product specialist. Additionally, a product specialist has an average salary of $85,932, which is higher than the $60,904 average annual salary of a program research specialist.
The top three skills for a program research specialist include data analysis, data collection and mathematics. The most important skills for a product specialist are customer service, product knowledge, and sales floor.
| Program Research Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $60,904 | $85,932 |
| Hourly rate | $29.28 | $41.31 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 115,466 | 103,863 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Program research specialists are professionals who are responsible for performing duties related to the business research program of an organization. These specialists must manage several major marketing research projects that aim to assess CRM solutions, marketing automation, and customer service processes. They must collect qualitative data and perform data analysis to create internal reports and provide recommendations to clients to improve services. Program research specialists must also use various software packages that can summarize and interpret statistical results.
A product specialist is required to have excellent knowledge about a product and work with a business unit to ensure excellent product delivery. Product specialists perform product demonstrations to customers and other stakeholders and assist in their promotions and product releases. To gain increased revenue, product specialists must be able to identify new market opportunities. They are required to conduct product and sales training for the marketing team. They must also provide reports about their product-related activities to the management.
Program research specialists and product specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Research Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Average salary | $60,904 | $85,932 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $90,000 | Between $56,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | Sacramento, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | SAP | ByteDance |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a program research specialist and a product specialist in terms of educational background:
| Program Research Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between program research specialists' and product specialists' demographics:
| Program Research Specialist | Product Specialist | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 39.0% Female, 61.0% | Male, 59.8% Female, 40.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.2% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 10.6% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |