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The differences between quality systems specialists and quality assurance specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a quality systems specialist, becoming a quality assurance specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a quality systems specialist has an average salary of $74,283, which is higher than the $63,443 average annual salary of a quality assurance specialist.
The top three skills for a quality systems specialist include quality system, FDA and ISO. The most important skills for a quality assurance specialist are GMP, patients, and FDA.
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $74,283 | $63,443 |
| Hourly rate | $35.71 | $30.50 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 120,243 | 83,505 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A quality systems specialist is responsible for conducting audit checks with the company's current quality systems and technologies to ensure adherence to regulatory policies and internal guidelines. Quality systems specialists evaluate the components of the system and recommend process improvement strategies, requiring them to have excellent technical skills to design or revise system interfaces. They also write comprehensive reports about the system's performance in meeting client requirements and determining usability to deliver outputs timely and efficiently.
A quality assurance specialist is an individual who is responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and proposing measures to correct and improve a company's product. Quality assurance specialists need to outline quality assurance policies and procedures, making sure that quality standards are assured. It is important that a quality assurance specialist should have strong attention to detail and is excellent in data collection. This work may require a minimum of bachelor's degree and certification to get certified.
Quality systems specialists and quality assurance specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Average salary | $74,283 | $63,443 |
| Salary range | Between $57,000 And $95,000 | Between $41,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Everett, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | General Motors | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Pharmaceutical |
There are a few differences between a quality systems specialist and a quality assurance specialist in terms of educational background:
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between quality systems specialists' and quality assurance specialists' demographics:
| Quality Systems Specialist | Quality Assurance Specialist | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 42.8% Female, 57.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 9.0% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 11% |