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

What is a program secretary and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a program secretary. For example, did you know that they make an average of $15.66 an hour? That's $32,566 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -8% and produce -286,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a program secretary?

Anne McConnell Ph.D.

Professor, West Virginia State University

I would say it's important to be very attentive to the way you communicate with your employers, managers, and co-workers. Even sending an e-mail can be an opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and communication skills. Some people think that no one knows how to write anymore, or how to communicate in a professional way. I don't think that's true. But we don't always think about how our writing can be a tool to communicate our competence and seriousness. If you know how to write and communicate professionally-which college grads do-then make sure to demonstrate that in the workplace.

ScoreProgram SecretaryUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,566

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 3.82%

Black or African American 9.22%

Hispanic or Latino 16.14%

Unknown 3.87%

White 66.22%

Gender

female 93.44%

male 6.56%

Age - 52

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 - 52

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.4

Complexity level is basic

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a program secretary

Explore program secretary education requirements

Most common program secretary degrees

Bachelor's

37.3 %

Associate

31.4 %

High School Diploma

12.7 %

Start to develop specific program secretary skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	13.96%
Scheduling Appointments	8.51%
Phone Calls	8.45%
Office Equipment	7.50%
Purchase Orders	7.21%

Complete relevant program secretary training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New program secretaries 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 secretary based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real program secretary resumes.

Gain additional program secretary certifications

Program secretary certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific program secretary certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for program secretaries include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).

More About Certifications

Research program secretary duties and responsibilities

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Maintain schedules, business travel, expense reports, overtime reports, payroll and labor time-card.
Prepare and submit payroll, travel expenses, and other reimbursement relate material for staff.
Create PowerPoint presentations for yearly events.

Prepare your program secretary resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your program secretary 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 secretary 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 secretary resume templates

Build a professional program secretary 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 secretary resume.