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

Best Project Management Specialist programs in Wisconsin, 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.

52 schools in Wisconsin run programs that feed this job, graduating 4,618 people a year. The job pays a median of $97,580 in Wisconsin across about 21,610 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledGrant AssistantProject ManagerProject SchedulerProject ControllerProject CoordinatorProject AdministratorProject Delivery ManagerProject Management Manager
Graduates / yr
4,618
in Wisconsin
Median pay · Wisconsin
$97,580
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
21,610
people employed
Schools
52
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
54%
across those schools
Median net price
$20,965
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Wisconsin that lead to this job

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

3 programs in Wisconsin that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Wisconsin (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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin
3,439
74.5%
48$43,506$25,000
2
CIP 52.0101In Wisconsin
994
21.5%
11$44,700$24,000
3
CIP 52.0211In Wisconsin
185
4.0%
9$43,506$25,000

Top 25 schools in Wisconsin

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 41 of the 52 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
Whitewater, WI Public · 3 feeder programs
429Business/Commerce, General$49,96559%86%
2University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
386Business/Commerce, General90%45%
3Chippewa Valley Technical College
Eau Claire, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
321Business Administration and Management, General$39,34450%
4University of Wisconsin - Parkside
Kenosha, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
318Business Administration and Management, General40%75%
5University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
291Business Administration and Management, General$46,25464%82%
6Milwaukee Area Technical College
Milwaukee, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
240Business Administration and Management, General$43,43725%
7University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
167Business/Commerce, General$45,57049%91%
8Fox Valley Technical College
Appleton, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
161Business Administration and Management, General$39,33765%
9University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
156Business Administration and Management, General$47,45451%92%
10University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
La Crosse, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
128Business Administration and Management, General$52,52171%76%
11University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Green Bay, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
124Business Administration and Management, General$48,70948%89%
12Concordia University - Wisconsin
Mequon, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
122Business Administration and Management, General$56,34768%$24,40978%
13Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
117Business Administration and Management, General$63,28583%$25,37681%
14University of Wisconsin - River Falls
River Falls, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
113Business Administration and Management, General$48,57057%82%
15Moraine Park Technical College
Fond du Lac, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
109Project Management$46,71958%
16Madison Area Technical College
Madison, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
101Business Administration and Management, General$43,08529%
17University of Wisconsin - Stout
Menomonie, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
98Business Administration and Management, General$54,82655%88%
18University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Oshkosh, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
89Business Administration and Management, General$57,80946%87%
19University of Wisconsin - Platteville
Platteville, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
89Business Administration and Management, General$51,29056%89%
20Mid - State Technical College
Wisconsin Rapids, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
84Business Administration and Management, General$47,26852%
21Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Green Bay, WI Public · 2 feeder programs
83Business Administration and Management, General$40,09151%
22Gateway Technical College
Kenosha, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
66Business Administration and Management, General$40,42651%
23University of Wisconsin - Superior
Superior, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
64Business Administration and Management, General$45,99942%93%
24Saint Norbert College
De Pere, WI Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
57Business/Commerce, General$44,82771%$23,31986%
25Waukesha County Technical College
Pewaukee, WI Public · 1 feeder programs
57Business Administration and Management, General$44,01644%

All 52 schools in Wisconsin

Every school in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Wisconsin - WhitewaterWhitewaterPublic4293
University of Wisconsin - MadisonMadisonPublic3862
Chippewa Valley Technical CollegeEau ClairePublic3211
University of Wisconsin - ParksideKenoshaPublic3182
University of Wisconsin - Eau ClaireEau ClairePublic2911
Milwaukee Area Technical CollegeMilwaukeePublic2401
University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMilwaukeePublic1671
Fox Valley Technical CollegeAppletonPublic1612
University of Wisconsin - Stevens PointStevens PointPublic1562
University of Wisconsin - La CrosseLa CrossePublic1281
University of Wisconsin - Green BayGreen BayPublic1241
Concordia University - WisconsinMequonPrivate not-for-profit1222
Marquette UniversityMilwaukeePrivate not-for-profit1171
University of Wisconsin - River FallsRiver FallsPublic1131
Moraine Park Technical CollegeFond du LacPublic1092

What project management specialists earn in Wisconsin

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

Median annual in Wisconsin
$97,580
Mean annual
$99,720
Jobs in state
21,610
What the range looks like
10th pct$60,840Median$97,58090th pct$139,140
Versus the national median
-4.6%

U.S. median $102,320. Wisconsin pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
1.07×

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

Metro areas in Wisconsin

Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI
$100,350median
6,790 jobs
Kenosha, WI
$93,850median
310 jobs
Madison, WI
$98,990median
4,280 jobs
La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN
$94,990median
480 jobs
Eau Claire, WI
$95,840median
460 jobs
Appleton, WI
$98,290median
970 jobs
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI
$96,460median
430 jobs
Sheboygan, WI
$92,490median
350 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 Wisconsin

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 Wisconsin.

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 3,439 degrees in Wisconsin in 2024-25, 74.5% 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 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Business Administration, Business/Commerce. Together they graduate about 4,618 people a year in Wisconsin.

How much do project management specialists earn in Wisconsin?+

The median is $97,580 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.6% below 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 Wisconsin?+

52 institutions in Wisconsin reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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