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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 | Administrative Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,327 | $38,758 |
| Hourly rate | $18.91 | $18.63 |
| Growth rate | 10% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 169,855 | 71,227 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
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 specialists and administrative specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Support Specialist | Administrative Specialist | |
| Average salary | $39,327 | $38,758 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $58,000 | Between $25,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a program support specialist and an administrative specialist in terms of educational background:
| Program Support Specialist | Administrative Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between program support specialists' and administrative specialists' demographics:
| Program Support Specialist | Administrative Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3% | Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6% |
| Race ratio | Black 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 Percentage | 11% | 6% |