Project specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a project specialist. Project specialists usually study business, communication, or psychology. 64% of project specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 15% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 10,150 real project specialist resumes to see exactly what project specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for project specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online project specialist courses to help get the education required to be a project specialist.

There are certain project specialist certifications that you should consider. These project specialist certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP) and Master Project Manager (MPM).

What education do you need to become a project specialist?

What degree do you need to be a project specialist?

The most common degree for project specialists is bachelor's degree, with 64% of project specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 15% and associate degree degree at 12%.

Bachelor's, 64%

Associate, 15%

Master's, 12%

High School Diploma, 5%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a project specialist?

You should major in business to become a project specialist. 34% of project specialists major in business. Other common majors for a project specialist include communication and psychology.

Business, 34%

Communication, 7%

Psychology, 6%

Accounting, 5%

Other Majors, 48%

Most common colleges for project specialists

Project specialists often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and Texas A&M; University. Here are the most common colleges for project specialists in the US based on their resumes.

Project specialist common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	20.03%
DeVry University	6.90%
Texas A&M University	5.95%
Arizona State University	5.55%
University of California, Santa Barbara	4.60%

Show more common project specialist colleges

Best majors for project specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	34.2%
2	Communication	6.5%
3	Psychology	5.7%
4	Accounting	5.0%
5	Marketing	4.4%

Show more common project specialist majors

Best colleges for project specialists

The best colleges for project specialists are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.

A project specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for project specialists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become project specialists.

1. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

8. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$54,104

Enrollment

7,089

9. Howard University

Washington, DC • Private

In-state tuition

$26,756

Enrollment

6,166

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

20 best online courses for project specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for project specialists

The most affordable schools for project specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and usf sarasota-manatee.

If the best universities for project specialists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for project specialists.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

8. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

10. Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Laie, HI • Private

In-state tuition

$5,560

Cost of attendance

18,043

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for project specialists

The hardest universities for project specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and New York University.

Some great schools for project specialists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for project specialists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

5. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

7. Georgetown University

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,456

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for project specialists

The easiest schools for project specialists to get into are D'Youville College, holy names university, and notre dame college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a project specialist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for project specialists.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

3. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

7. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

10. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

Average project specialist salary by education level

Project specialists with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $85,360 annually. With a Master's degree, project specialists earn a median annual income of $83,185 compared to $72,027 for project specialists with an Bachelor's degree.

Project specialist education level	Project specialist salary
Master's Degree	$83,185
Bachelor's Degree	$72,027
Doctorate Degree	$85,360
Some College/ Associate Degree	$58,403

Project specialist education FAQs

What is the best college for Project Specialists?

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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