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Program support specialist vs administrative specialist

The differences between program support specialists and administrative specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a program support specialist and an administrative specialist. Additionally, a program support specialist has an average salary of $39,327, which is higher than the $38,758 average annual salary of an administrative specialist.

The top three skills for a program support specialist include program support, veterans and powerpoint. The most important skills for an administrative specialist are customer service, data entry, and powerpoint.

Program support specialist vs administrative specialist overview

Program Support SpecialistAdministrative Specialist
Yearly salary$39,327$38,758
Hourly rate$18.91$18.63
Growth rate10%-8%
Number of jobs169,85571,227
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age4250
Years of experience22

What does a program support specialist do?

A program support specialist is responsible for monitoring the overall program aspects of an organization from the conceptualization to the final execution. Program support specialists negotiate contracts and transactions with the suppliers and vendors for resources that meet the funding and budget limitations. They process documents and assist the program staff in coordinating with other organizations for program plans and potential sponsorships. A program support specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling the program objectives and ensure client satisfaction.

What does an administrative specialist do?

An administrative specialist is in charge of various clerical tasks to support supervisors and management staff. Their responsibility is to act as the main point of contact among clients through answering calls and responding to inquiries, managing schedules, arranging appointments and travel, addressing complaints and resolving internal issues, managing payroll, and keeping an organized database. Furthermore, an administrative specialist can also conduct research and analysis, prepare reports and other forms of documentation, and coordinate workflow in a particular area.

Program support specialist vs administrative specialist salary

Program support specialists and administrative specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Program Support SpecialistAdministrative Specialist
Average salary$39,327$38,758
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $58,000Between $25,000 And $58,000
Highest paying CityUrban Honolulu, HIWashington, DC
Highest paying stateHawaiiCalifornia
Best paying companyLos Alamos National LaboratoryMeta
Best paying industryGovernmentTechnology

Differences between program support specialist and administrative specialist education

There are a few differences between a program support specialist and an administrative specialist in terms of educational background:

Program Support SpecialistAdministrative Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityWestern Carolina University

Program support specialist vs administrative specialist demographics

Here are the differences between program support specialists' and administrative specialists' demographics:

Program Support SpecialistAdministrative Specialist
Average age4250
Gender ratioMale, 24.7% Female, 75.3%Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage11%6%

Differences between program support specialist and administrative specialist duties and responsibilities

Program support specialist example 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.
  • Create and develop visual presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint.
  • Process independent corrections/updates to DMV records as determined through customer contact and research.
  • Show more

Administrative specialist example responsibilities.

  • Participate in committee meetings by preparing minutes and presentation summaries, planning meeting agendas, and organizing and managing meeting logistics.
  • Process incoming and outgoing medical records with newly implement HIPAA requirements.
  • Maintain personnel records, electronic databases, oversee and administer department SharePoint website.
  • Redesign and reformat PowerPoint presentations, customize individual client presentations for specific look & feel.
  • Create and successfully implement a new faculty form to collect necessary information for payroll forms.
  • Conduct training of new personnel using spreadsheets & PowerPoint presentations to ensure compliance of organizational policies & procedures.
  • Show more

Program support specialist vs administrative specialist skills

Common program support specialist skills
  • Program Support, 22%
  • Veterans, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 5%
  • Program Management, 4%
  • Data Entry, 4%
  • Community Resources, 4%
Common administrative specialist skills
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Data Entry, 6%
  • PowerPoint, 6%
  • Office Procedures, 5%
  • Patients, 5%
  • Payroll, 4%

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