Colorado·Business and Financial Operations Occupations·SOC 13-1082

Best Project Management Specialist programs in Colorado, ranked by enrollment

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.

33 schools in Colorado run programs that feed this job, graduating 12,408 people a year. The job pays a median of $110,050 in Colorado across about 32,390 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledGrant AssistantProject ManagerProject SchedulerProject ControllerProject CoordinatorProject AdministratorProject Delivery ManagerProject Management Manager
Graduates / yr
12,408
in Colorado
Median pay · Colorado
$110,050
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
32,390
people employed
Schools
33
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
45%
across those schools
Median net price
$23,447
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Colorado that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

4 programs in Colorado that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Colorado (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Colorado page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 52.0201In Colorado
10,418
84.0%
28$43,506$25,000
2
CIP 52.0101In Colorado
1,381
11.1%
18$44,700$24,000
3
CIP 52.0211In Colorado
522
4.2%
6$43,506$25,000
4
CIP 11.1005In Colorado
87
0.7%
2$48,185$25,250

Top 25 schools in Colorado

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 17 of the 33 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, CO Private for-profit · 4 feeder programs
5,546Business Administration and Management, General$32,52519%$16,966
2University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
1,441Business Administration and Management, General$56,01474%78%
3Colorado State University Global
Denver, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
935Business Administration and Management, General$69,86398%
4Colorado State University - Fort Collins
Fort Collins, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
862Business Administration and Management, General$54,84667%89%
5University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Denver, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
683Business Administration and Management, General$52,42846%75%
6Front Range Community College
Westminster, CO Public · 3 feeder programs
417Business/Commerce, General35%
7University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
408Business Administration and Management, General$43,32647%97%
8University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
296Business Administration and Management, General$50,73951%86%
9Colorado Mesa University
Grand Junction, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
256Business Administration and Management, General$46,31641%82%
10University of Denver
Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
233Business/Commerce, General$45,86676%$29,72678%
11Metropolitan State University of Denver
Denver, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
169Business Administration and Management, General$53,00132%99%
12United States Air Force Academy
USAF Academy, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
131Business Administration and Management, General88%14%
13Colorado Christian University
Lakewood, CO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
125Business Administration and Management, General$56,60664%$23,447
14Adams State University
Alamosa, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
119Business/Commerce, General$40,18139%
15Colorado State University Pueblo
Pueblo, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
95Business/Commerce, General$43,06740%95%
16Community College of Aurora
Aurora, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
88Business/Commerce, General33%
17Arapahoe Community College
Littleton, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
84Business/Commerce, General29%
18Western Colorado University
Gunnison, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
72Business Administration and Management, General$41,88650%100%
19Regis University
Denver, CO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
65Business Administration and Management, General$60,10161%$22,40786%
20Fort Lewis College
Durango, CO Public · 1 feeder programs
58Business/Commerce, General$33,37636%77%
21Community College of Denver
Denver, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
52Business/Commerce, General20%
22Red Rocks Community College
Lakewood, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
51Business/Commerce, General32%
23Northeastern Junior College
Sterling, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
49Business/Commerce, General56%
24Pikes Peak State College
Colorado Springs, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
46Business/Commerce, General21%
25Pueblo Community College
Pueblo, CO Public · 2 feeder programs
35Business/Commerce, General31%

All 33 schools in Colorado

Every school in Colorado with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Colorado that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Colorado Technical University - Colorado SpringsColorado SpringsPrivate for-profit5,5464
University of Colorado BoulderBoulderPublic1,4411
Colorado State University GlobalDenverPublic9352
Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort CollinsPublic8622
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusDenverPublic6831
Front Range Community CollegeWestminsterPublic4173
University of Colorado Colorado SpringsColorado SpringsPublic4082
University of Northern ColoradoGreeleyPublic2961
Colorado Mesa UniversityGrand JunctionPublic2561
University of DenverDenverPrivate not-for-profit2331
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenverPublic1691
United States Air Force AcademyUSAF AcademyPublic1311
Colorado Christian UniversityLakewoodPrivate not-for-profit1252
Adams State UniversityAlamosaPublic1192
Colorado State University PuebloPuebloPublic952

What project management specialists earn in Colorado

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Colorado
$110,050
Mean annual
$118,680
Jobs in state
32,390
What the range looks like
10th pct$68,990Median$110,05090th pct$171,630
Versus the national median
+7.6%

U.S. median $102,320. Colorado pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
1.64×

Concentrated here: Colorado employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Colorado

Boulder, CO
$122,040median
2,920 jobs
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO
$116,740median
20,710 jobs
Colorado Springs, CO
$111,740median
3,200 jobs
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
$101,310median
1,630 jobs
Pueblo, CO
$101,870median
420 jobs
Greeley, CO
$97,950median
940 jobs
Grand Junction, CO
$94,690median
380 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+5.6%
Faster than average
Openings per year
78,200
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
58,700
1,046,300 → 1,105,000
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Project Management Specialists page.

How to become a Project Management Specialist

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Colorado

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 6 majors mapped to Project Management Specialists6 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 11.1005Information Technology Project Management
  • 52.0101Business/Commerce, General
  • 52.0201Business Administration and Management, General
  • 52.0211Project Management
  • 52.0216Science/Technology Management
  • 52.2002Construction Project Management

Common questions

Answers for people weighing project management specialists programs in Colorado.

What degree do you need to become a Project Management Specialist?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Business Administration and Management, General, which awarded 10,418 degrees in Colorado in 2024-25, 84.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Project Management Specialist?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Business/Commerce, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Together they graduate about 12,408 people a year in Colorado.

How much do project management specialists earn in Colorado?+

The median is $110,050 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 7.6% above the U.S. median of $102,320. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for project management specialists growing?+

BLS projects a +5.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 78,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Colorado?+

33 institutions in Colorado reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+

BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'None' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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