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

What is a program support specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Program Support Specialists provide assistance to the program management team. They mostly handle administrative or clerical activities for the group. They handle incoming and outgoing messages and correspondences. They schedule meetings and appointments, as well as reserve meeting rooms as needed. They are also responsible for filing and sorting through documents. They may also draft memoranda related to the program. They are also expected to handle official communication lines and take messages for others. Depending on the industry, they may also be assigned tasks that are directly related to the management of the program, such as handling technical challenges, being involved in events, and managing clients.

To be a program support specialist, one should have at least a high school diploma. Aside from that, they may be required to have certain certifications, depending on the industry they intend to work in. Furthermore, some industries would require a bachelor's degree in a related field. Skills-wise, one should be organized and analytical.

ScoreProgram Support SpecialistUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,327

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 10.55%

Black or African American 12.84%

Hispanic or Latino 14.96%

Unknown 5.29%

White 55.95%

Gender

female 75.31%

male 24.69%

Age - 41

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 - 41

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a program support specialist

Explore program support specialist education requirements

Most common program support specialist degrees

Bachelor's

57.7 %

Associate

18.2 %

Master's

11.6 %

Start to develop specific program support specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Program Support	22.48%
Veterans	6.29%
PowerPoint	5.21%
Program Management	4.36%
Data Entry	4.13%

Complete relevant program support specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New program support specialists 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 support specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real program support specialist resumes.

Research program support specialist duties and responsibilities

Lead SharePoint implementation project to include customize conference room application through design, beta testing, and phase roll out.
Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
Enforce HIPAA compliance to ensure patient confidentiality without any violations to date.
Serve in advance level technical position in a high volume DMV regulatory unit.

Prepare your program support specialist resume

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

Build a professional program support specialist 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 support specialist resume.

Apply for program support specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a program support specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do program support specialists rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Program support specialist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020

Pros

Helping special needs adults read , write and do math.

Cons

Lifting wheelchair bound individuals to change pull ups and pampers, cleaning bowel movements. No support from leadership when problems arrive. Over crowding classrooms which causes stress to staff and individuals.