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The differences between scrum masters and project management 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 scrum master, becoming a project management specialist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a scrum master has an average salary of $86,329, which is higher than the $81,204 average annual salary of a project management specialist.
The top three skills for a scrum master include jira, software development and agile scrum. The most important skills for a project management specialist are PMP, powerpoint, and status reports.
| Scrum Master | Project Management Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $86,329 | $81,204 |
| Hourly rate | $41.50 | $39.04 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 44,670 | 145,872 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A scrum master is a job that's rooted in leadership. It is the scrum master's responsibility to ensure a scrum process over the development of a project. They are not directly involved in the decision-making but guide the team in completing the scrum process with their experience and expertise. Also, a scrum master must be adept at being agile in approaching a project and also be able to schedule meetings during the process. In addition, the scrum master acts as a coach as well, helping the scrum teamwork cross-functionally.
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.
Scrum masters and project management specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Scrum Master | Project Management Specialist | |
| Average salary | $86,329 | $81,204 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $114,000 | Between $58,000 And $112,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Bridgewater, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | ICE Mortgage Technology | Enbridge |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between a scrum master and a project management specialist in terms of educational background:
| Scrum Master | Project Management Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between scrum masters' and project management specialists' demographics:
| Scrum Master | Project Management Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% | Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |