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

Best Project Management Specialist programs in Massachusetts, 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.

63 schools in Massachusetts run programs that feed this job, graduating 12,248 people a year. The job pays a median of $114,190 in Massachusetts across about 21,960 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledGrant AssistantProject ManagerProject SchedulerProject ControllerProject CoordinatorProject AdministratorProject Delivery ManagerProject Management Manager
Graduates / yr
12,248
in Massachusetts
Median pay · Massachusetts
$114,190
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
21,960
people employed
Schools
63
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
56%
across those schools
Median net price
$26,445
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Massachusetts that lead to this job

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

5 programs in Massachusetts that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Massachusetts (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 Massachusetts page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
110,091
82.4%
60$43,506$25,000
21,970
16.1%
20$44,700$24,000
3145
1.2%
6$43,506$25,000
440
0.3%
1$48,185$25,250
52
0.0%
1$43,506$25,000

Top 25 schools in Massachusetts

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 45 of the 63 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Boston University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1,791Business Administration and Management, General$71,54589%$21,95611%
2Northeastern University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
1,476Business/Commerce, General$74,86891%$18,9255%
3Babson College
Wellesley, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
1,153Business Administration and Management, General$69,97093%$30,32617%
4University of Massachusetts - Lowell
Lowell, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
1,123Business Administration and Management, General$52,65765%83%
5University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Amherst, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
697Business Administration and Management, General$64,13883%60%
6University of Massachusetts - Boston
Boston, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
558Business Administration and Management, General$49,41749%84%
7Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
432Business Administration and Management, General$49,90755%87%
8Hult International Business School
Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
387Business Administration and Management, General67%$42,98160%
9Harvard University
Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
329Business Administration and Management, General98%$15,0134%
10Bentley University
Waltham, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
295Business Administration and Management, General$67,90387%$31,67745%
11Suffolk University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
241Business Administration and Management, General$52,80361%$28,89582%
12Endicott College
Beverly, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
212Business Administration and Management, General$48,21476%$34,19571%
13Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
193Business Administration and Management, General$71,67591%$21,12616%
14University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
North Dartmouth, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
184Business Administration and Management, General$46,38252%91%
15Worcester State University
Worcester, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
167Business Administration and Management, General$46,66061%88%
16Middlesex Community College
Bedford, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
150Business Administration and Management, General$36,44623%
17Nichols College
Dudley, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
143Business Administration and Management, General$48,79063%$29,71881%
18Merrimack College
North Andover, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
139Business Administration and Management, General$48,01870%$33,87770%
19Cambridge College
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
137Business Administration and Management, General$64,50211%
20Bunker Hill Community College
Boston, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
132Business Administration and Management, General$34,81713%
21Quinsigamond Community College
Worcester, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
123Business Administration and Management, General$42,02822%
22Emerson College
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
115Business/Commerce, General77%$40,98251%
23Clark University
Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
105Business Administration and Management, General$43,44977%$23,33240%
24Northeastern University Professional Programs
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
103Business Administration and Management, General
25Mount Wachusett Community College
Gardner, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
92Business Administration and Management, General$43,50324%

All 63 schools in Massachusetts

Every school in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Boston UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit1,7911
Northeastern UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit1,4762
Babson CollegeWellesleyPrivate not-for-profit1,1531
University of Massachusetts - LowellLowellPublic1,1232
University of Massachusetts - AmherstAmherstPublic6972
University of Massachusetts - BostonBostonPublic5581
Fitchburg State UniversityFitchburgPublic4321
Hult International Business SchoolCambridgePrivate not-for-profit3871
Harvard UniversityCambridgePrivate not-for-profit3293
Bentley UniversityWalthamPrivate not-for-profit2951
Suffolk UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit2412
Endicott CollegeBeverlyPrivate not-for-profit2121
Boston CollegeChestnut HillPrivate not-for-profit1931
University of Massachusetts - DartmouthNorth DartmouthPublic1842
Worcester State UniversityWorcesterPublic1671

What project management specialists earn in Massachusetts

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

Median annual in Massachusetts
$114,190
Mean annual
$120,970
Jobs in state
21,960
What the range looks like
10th pct$72,800Median$114,19090th pct$174,840
Versus the national median
+11.6%

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

Job concentration
0.88×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Massachusetts

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$114,990median
18,840 jobs
Pittsfield, MA
$104,640median
210 jobs
Barnstable Town, MA
$102,980median
240 jobs
Worcester, MA
$100,290median
1,400 jobs
Springfield, MA
$94,880median
610 jobs
Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
$85,320median
210 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 Massachusetts

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 Massachusetts.

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 10,091 degrees in Massachusetts in 2024-25, 82.4% 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 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Business/Commerce, Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management. Together they graduate about 12,248 people a year in Massachusetts.

How much do project management specialists earn in Massachusetts?+

The median is $114,190 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 11.6% 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 Massachusetts?+

63 institutions in Massachusetts reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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

All Clema data sources and release dates →

Explore every U.S. college in one conversation

Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card