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The differences between program support specialists and project specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project specialist has an average salary of $65,993, which is higher than the $39,327 average annual salary of a program support specialist.
The top three skills for a program support specialist include program support, veterans and powerpoint. The most important skills for a project specialist are customer service, project management, and project proposals.
| Program Support Specialist | Project Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $39,327 | $65,993 |
| Hourly rate | $18.91 | $31.73 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 169,855 | 99,583 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 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.
A project specialist's role is to ensure that a project or program's completion is within the allotted time and budget. They are primarily responsible for devising plans and strategies to quicken the pace of production or processes involved, creating a comprehensive schedule, monitoring the progress and producing reports, tracking the budget and expenditures, and coordinating with all department personnel. Moreover, a project specialist may also schedule and attend meetings, all while adhering to the company's policies and standards.
Program support specialists and project specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Support Specialist | Project Specialist | |
| Average salary | $39,327 | $65,993 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $58,000 | Between $41,000 And $103,000 |
| Highest paying City | Urban Honolulu, HI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Government | Professional |
There are a few differences between a program support specialist and a project specialist in terms of educational background:
| Program Support Specialist | Project Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between program support specialists' and project specialists' demographics:
| Program Support Specialist | Project Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.7% Female, 75.3% | Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3% |
| 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, 6.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 8.8% White, 70.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |