Project Management Specialists
What Project Management Specialists Do
Analyze and coordinate the schedule, timeline, procurement, staffing, and budget of a product or service on a per project basis. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. May serve as a point of contact for the client or customer.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 1.8%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 4 of 5Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Leadership Orientation
- Attention to Detail
- Perseverance
- Cooperation
- Achievement Orientation
- Stress Tolerance
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- EnterprisingHigh
- ConventionalHigh
- SocialMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- ArtisticLow
- RealisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where project management specialists make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Boulder, CO2.22× national avg
- 2Lexington Park, MD2.02× national avg
- 3Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX1.97× national avg
- 4Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA1.88× national avg
- 5Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO1.88× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Computer and Information Systems ManagersLateral Move
- LogisticiansLateral Move
- Management AnalystsLateral Move
- Administrative Services ManagersLateral Move
See the full career path from Project Management Specialists →
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Business Administration and Management, General
- University of Phoenix-Arizona (Phoenix, AZ)grads earn ~$69,425
- Southern New Hampshire University (Manchester, NH)grads earn ~$75,423
- Western Governors University (Salt Lake City, UT)grads earn ~$98,950
- Valencia College (Orlando, FL)
- Southern New Hampshire University (Manchester, NH)grads earn ~$95,086
Business/Commerce, General
- Indiana University-Bloomington (Bloomington, IN)grads earn ~$105,583
- Indiana University-Bloomington (Bloomington, IN)grads earn ~$161,345
- Northeastern University (Boston, MA)grads earn ~$113,620
- University of Missouri-Columbia (Columbia, MO)grads earn ~$84,534
- Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo, CA)
Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance
- Western Governors University (Salt Lake City, UT)grads earn ~$129,303
- Western Governors University (Salt Lake City, UT)grads earn ~$144,205
- University of Maryland Global Campus (Adelphi, MD)grads earn ~$130,314
- MyComputerCareer at Columbus (Columbus, OH)grads earn ~$58,108
- New York University (New York, NY)grads earn ~$152,422