Program Specialists: How to Become One
If you were to ask a group of program specialists about how they arrived at their current job, there's a good chance you would get several different answers about the paths and steps that each person took.
That said, there are still ways that you can develop a baseline understanding of the preparation that is necessary to become one.
The Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has gathered data to provide you with insight into the type of education that's commonly required for program specialists to land a job. This page contains information, sourced from real job postings, that describes the experience levels and specific skills that employers of program specialists expect candidates to have. In the end, this information will help you create an education or professional development plan that aligns with your career aspirations.
Keep reading to learn more about career steps for program specialists.
What Education & Experience is Needed for Program Specialists?
Do program specialists need a degree? What kind of experience do program specialists typically need? Thanks to data sourced from Lightcast™ from real job postings, we can get some clarity on those questions, as well as the level of education that is commonly required for program specialists to secure jobs.
Education Level Required in Job Postings for Program Specialists
Jobs Postings for Program Specialists By Education
- Bachelor's degree: 542,829 (46%)
- No Education Listed: 270,368 (23%)
- Master's degree: 182,476 (16%)
- High School or GED: 139,869 (12%)
- Ph.D. or professional degree: 32,190 (3%)
A bachelor's degree is the level of education sought the most by employers of program specialists. According to job data, a bachelor's degree was required for 46% of positions. In 23% of job listings no education level was listed and in 16% of postings a master's degree was required.
Experience Level Required in Job Postings for Program Specialists
Jobs Postings for Program Specialists By Experience
- 0-1 Years: 72,905 (11%)
- 2-3 Years: 205,694 (31%)
- 4-6 Years: 228,901 (35%)
- 7-9 Years: 77,263 (12%)
- 10+ Years: 70,005 (11%)
While the amount of required experience will vary based on the responsibility and seniority of the position, an aggregate view of job posting data can help paint a picture of the experience level sought for most job openings for program specialists. In 35% of job postings for Program Specialists, employers were looking for candidates with 4-6 years of experience. In 31% of listings employers were looking for candidates with 2-3 years of experience, while 7-9 years of experience was sought in 12% of job postings for program specialists.
What Kind of Degree Do Program Specialists Need?
So far this page has provided detail into the level of education and the amount of experience required in job openings for program specialists, but what type of education or degree will help prepare you for a career in the field?
According to occupational data obtained through Lightcast,™ there are 157 key academic programs that can help prepare prospective program specialists, and in 2021 a total of 1,832,879 of those programs were completed at institutions in the United States.
Check out the information below to learn more about the specific programs that should be considered by prospective program specialists.
Top Degree Programs for Program Specialists
Top 5 Degree Programs for Program Specialists (2021)
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 366,667 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 351,860 |
| Psychology, General. | 140,792 |
| General Studies. | 129,753 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | 55,970 |
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 366,667 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 351,860 |
| Psychology, General. | 140,792 |
| General Studies. | 129,753 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | 55,970 |
| Finance, General. | 51,430 |
| Political Science and Government, General. | 47,413 |
| Criminal Justice/Safety Studies. | 46,381 |
| Sociology, General. | 38,336 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other. | 37,634 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other. | 34,937 |
| Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration. | 32,143 |
| History, General. | 31,345 |
| Health/Health Care Administration/Management. | 31,252 |
| Economics, General. | 28,803 |
| Public Health, General. | 22,677 |
| Social Sciences, General. | 18,699 |
| Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General. | 18,408 |
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics. | 18,364 |
| Public Administration. | 16,791 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other. | 14,224 |
| International Relations and Affairs. | 13,111 |
| Anthropology, General. | 10,949 |
| Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management. | 10,924 |
| Criminology. | 10,904 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management, General. | 10,574 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology, Other. | 10,153 |
| Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia. | 9,966 |
| Environmental Studies. | 9,893 |
| Philosophy. | 9,475 |
| Counseling Psychology. | 9,248 |
| Environmental Science. | 9,231 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General. | 9,051 |
| International Business/Trade/Commerce. | 9,049 |
| Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies. | 8,340 |
| International/Globalization Studies. | 7,362 |
| Operations Management and Supervision. | 7,115 |
| Engineering/Industrial Management. | 5,954 |
| Library and Information Science. | 5,691 |
| Applied Behavior Analysis. | 5,428 |
| Clinical Psychology. | 4,959 |
| Geography. | 4,941 |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other. | 4,791 |
| Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician. | 4,769 |
| Behavioral Sciences. | 4,169 |
| Project Management. | 4,155 |
| Financial Planning and Services. | 4,087 |
| Public Health, Other. | 3,404 |
| Geographic Information Science and Cartography. | 3,231 |
| Experimental Psychology. | 3,211 |
| School Psychology. | 3,179 |
| Homeland Security. | 3,012 |
| Occupational Safety and Health Technology/Technician. | 3,008 |
| Sustainability Studies. | 3,005 |
| Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management. | 2,897 |
| Natural Resources/Conservation, General. | 2,821 |
| Cognitive Science, General. | 2,768 |
| Crisis/Emergency/Disaster Management. | 2,708 |
| Psychology, Other. | 2,580 |
| Social Sciences, Other. | 2,381 |
| Small Business Administration/Management. | 2,345 |
| Human Resources Development. | 2,315 |
| Industrial and Organizational Psychology. | 2,283 |
| Intelligence, General. | 2,261 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other. | 2,200 |
| Forensic Psychology. | 2,090 |
| Information Technology Project Management. | 2,076 |
| Applied Psychology. | 2,058 |
| Educational Psychology. | 1,856 |
| Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other. | 1,640 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General. | 1,622 |
| Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism. | 1,569 |
| Accounting and Business/Management. | 1,537 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs. | 1,507 |
| Fire Services Administration. | 1,450 |
| Construction Trades, General. | 1,432 |
| Behavioral Neuroscience. | 1,383 |
| Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution. | 1,159 |
| Tourism and Travel Services Management. | 1,136 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections, General. | 1,117 |
| Fine and Studio Arts Management. | 1,073 |
| Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management. | 1,058 |
| Political Science and Government, Other. | 1,010 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General. | 987 |
| Social Psychology. | 982 |
| Critical Infrastructure Protection. | 978 |
| Accounting and Related Services, Other. | 814 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management, Other. | 767 |
| Bioethics/Medical Ethics. | 663 |
| National Security Policy Studies. | 659 |
| Community Psychology. | 623 |
| Applied Economics. | 618 |
| Development Economics and International Development. | 593 |
| Sociology and Anthropology. | 541 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies, Other. | 530 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, Other. | 504 |
| History, Other. | 488 |
| Science/Technology Management. | 430 |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations, Other. | 387 |
| American Government and Politics (United States). | 365 |
| Political Economy. | 358 |
| Investments and Securities. | 346 |
| Clinical Research Coordinator. | 344 |
| Geography, Other. | 341 |
| Archeology. | 331 |
| International Economics. | 328 |
| Economics, Other. | 315 |
| Industrial Safety Technology/Technician. | 274 |
| Theatre/Theatre Arts Management. | 257 |
| Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics. | 245 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Other. | 242 |
| Research and Development Management. | 238 |
| Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods. | 235 |
| History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. | 233 |
| Public/Applied History. | 229 |
| Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations. | 213 |
| Archives/Archival Administration. | 210 |
| Military History. | 209 |
| Cybersecurity Defense Strategy/Policy. | 191 |
| Philosophy and Religious Studies, General. | 184 |
| Medical Anthropology. | 169 |
| Construction Trades, Other. | 157 |
| Library Science, Other. | 120 |
| Anthropology, Other. | 119 |
| American History (United States). | 115 |
| Clinical Child Psychology. | 114 |
| Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians, Other. | 113 |
| Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician. | 104 |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians, Other. | 102 |
| Applied and Professional Ethics. | 98 |
| Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. | 97 |
| Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology. | 96 |
| Cultural Anthropology. | 80 |
| Demography and Population Studies. | 77 |
| History and Political Science. | 66 |
| Telecommunications Management. | 55 |
| Physical and Biological Anthropology. | 50 |
| Applied/Public Sociology. | 49 |
| Social Entrepreneurship. | 48 |
| Religious Institution Administration and Management. | 35 |
| Facilities Planning and Management. | 32 |
| Rural Sociology. | 32 |
| Environmental Chemistry. | 25 |
| Comparative Psychology. | 24 |
| Forensic Anthropology. | 23 |
| Personality Psychology. | 18 |
| Franchising and Franchise Operations. | 15 |
| Digital Humanities. | 12 |
| Environmental Psychology. | 12 |
| European History. | 6 |
| Applied Demography. | 6 |
| Linguistics and Anthropology. | 4 |
| Asian History. | 2 |
| Economics and Computer Science. | 2 |
| History and Language/Literature. | 0 |
| Hazardous Materials Information Systems Technology/Technician. | 0 |
| Law Enforcement Record-Keeping and Evidence Management. | 0 |
What Skills Do Program Specialists Need?
Education and experience have been covered, so what are the specific skills and traits needed by program specialists to secure a job?
A good way to understand this is to examine actual job postings for skills commonly sought by employers. Continue reading for a breakdown of specialized skills found in job postings for program specialists, as well as common skills that can help you thrive in the workplace.
In-Demand Skills for Today's Program Specialists
Based on 955,147 job postings
Top 5 Specialized Skills for Program Specialists
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Project Management | 256,159 | 27% |
| Marketing | 120,709 | 13% |
| Auditing | 105,772 | 11% |
| Finance | 90,900 | 10% |
| Process Improvement | 73,693 | 8% |
Top 5 Common Skills for Program Specialists
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | 498,666 | 52% |
| Management | 469,890 | 49% |
| Leadership | 367,436 | 38% |
| Operations | 324,178 | 34% |
| Planning | 236,845 | 25% |
Based on 955,147 job postings related to program specialists, project management was the top specialized skill sought by employers, with 27% of all postings looking for that skillset. Skills for marketing, auditing, finance, process improvement and accounting were also highly sought.
As for common skills, communications was the most desired skill found in job postings for program specialists, followed by management, leadership, operations, planning and customer service.
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Project Management | 256,159 | 27% |
| Marketing | 120,709 | 13% |
| Auditing | 105,772 | 11% |
| Finance | 90,900 | 10% |
| Process Improvement | 73,693 | 8% |
| Accounting | 67,504 | 7% |
| Workflow Management | 62,789 | 7% |
| Data Analysis | 59,709 | 6% |
| Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) | 52,850 | 6% |
| Agile Methodology | 50,068 | 5% |
| Business Development | 44,769 | 5% |
| Risk Management | 44,663 | 5% |
| Change Management | 42,260 | 4% |
| New Product Development | 42,016 | 4% |
| Customer Relationship Management | 39,610 | 4% |
| Procurement | 38,645 | 4% |
| Invoicing | 38,630 | 4% |
| Computer Science | 38,374 | 4% |
| Milestones (Project Management) | 37,569 | 4% |
| Business Process | 34,549 | 4% |
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | 498,666 | 52% |
| Management | 469,890 | 49% |
| Leadership | 367,436 | 38% |
| Operations | 324,178 | 34% |
| Planning | 236,845 | 25% |
| Customer Service | 231,424 | 24% |
| Problem Solving | 196,524 | 21% |
| Program Management | 194,287 | 20% |
| Coordinating | 179,779 | 19% |
| Writing | 178,178 | 19% |
| Detail Oriented | 164,161 | 17% |
| Microsoft Excel | 160,226 | 17% |
| Sales | 155,010 | 16% |
| Microsoft Office | 145,183 | 15% |
| Presentations | 133,275 | 14% |
| Interpersonal Communications | 120,247 | 13% |
| Research | 119,383 | 12% |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 109,052 | 11% |
| Scheduling | 107,623 | 11% |
| Verbal Communication Skills | 107,379 | 11% |
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about program specialists? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for program specialists.
What do program specialists do?
How much do program specialists make?
All Occupations
The Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled data for dozens of in-demand jobs. Explore our full catalog of occupation data by visiting the link below.