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The differences between project management specialists and program/project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a program/project manager has an average salary of $101,850, which is higher than the $81,204 average annual salary of a project management specialist.
The top three skills for a project management specialist include PMP, powerpoint and status reports. The most important skills for a program/project manager are project management, program management, and PMP.
| Project Management Specialist | Program/Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $81,204 | $101,850 |
| Hourly rate | $39.04 | $48.97 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 16% |
| Number of jobs | 145,872 | 243,017 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A project management specialist is an individual who manages an entire project and serves as a point of contact for a client or customer. Project management specialists must provide detailed cost analysis and timetable reports to keep projects on schedule and budget. They must ask for frequent updates from all staff assigned so that they can identify potential problems that may keep projects from being completed on time. Project management specialists must also prepare progress reports of projects and create presentations for senior management.
The program manager and project manager are two important positions within a company that are thought to be similar. However, program managers direct diverse projects and programs while project managers head the team who is responsible for ensuring a project is completed on time and within budget. Program managers are responsible for the conveyance of the company goals and generally act as a customer interface that helps clients get their desired update and change of a project. Project managers, on the other hand, focus on the project's schedule, scope, and resources needed to complete it on time.
Project management specialists and program/project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Management Specialist | Program/Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $81,204 | $101,850 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $112,000 | Between $74,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bridgewater, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Enbridge | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a project management specialist and a program/project manager in terms of educational background:
| Project Management Specialist | Program/Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between project management specialists' and program/project managers' demographics:
| Project Management Specialist | Program/Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% | Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 11.8% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |