Salary AI Book a Demo

Academic Program Manager Salary in the United States

How much does an Academic Program Manager make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for an Academic Program Manager in the United States is $140,212 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $67.

However, an Academic Program Manager's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $169,744
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $127,061 to $155,670
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $115,088
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Academic Program Manager Salaries

An Academic Program Manager's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Academic Program Manager Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Academic Program Manager's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $136,559
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $137,107
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $138,020
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $139,299
  • Expert (over 8 years): $141,125
Levels Salary
Entry Level Academic Program Manager$136,559
Intermediate Level Academic Program Manager$137,107
Senior Level Academic Program Manager$138,020
Specialist Level Academic Program Manager$139,299
Expert Level Academic Program Manager$141,125
View as Graph

How Do Academic Program Manager Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Academic Program Managers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $155,243.
  • California: $154,654.
  • Massachusetts: $152,593.

Top Paying Cities for Academic Program Managers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $176,849
  • San Francisco: $174,913
  • Oakland: $171,227

What Skills Can Increase an Academic Program Manager's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 9.53% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Scrum (Mentioned in 1.25% Job Postings): Using an agile process for managing the lifecycle development of software products.
  • Continuous Improvement (Mentioned in 1.01% Job Postings): A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. Some see CIPs as a meta-process for most management systems (such as business process management, quality management, project management, and program management). W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer of the field, saw it as part of the 'system' whereby feedback from the process and customer were evaluated against organisational goals. The fact that it can be called a management process does not mean that it needs to be executed by 'management'; but rather merely that it makes decisions about the implementation of the delivery process and the design of the delivery process itself.
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 9.53%
Scrum 1.25%
Continuous Improvement 1.01%
See More Skills

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Academic Program Manager's salary.

  • Software Development: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
  • Scrum: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Product Development: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Software Development $151,429
8%
Scrum $150,027
7%
Product Development $150,027
7%
Get Latest Data

Academic Program Manager Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Academic Program Manager roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 68% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Software & Networking and Pharmaceuticals sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 30% above the average. In contrast, Academic Program Manager positions in Transportation or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Academic Program Manager as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for an Academic Program Manager

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking$182,276$88.030%
Pharmaceuticals$175,265$84.025%
Financial Services$168,254$81.020%
Internet$162,646$78.016%
Biotechnology$161,244$78.015%

How Education impacts an Academic Program Manager's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Academic Program Managers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Academic Program Manager with a Bachelor's Degree is between $143,102 and $154,962).

Academic Program Manager Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Academic Program Manager
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.3%
High School 4.0%
Associates 3.4%
Bachelors 37.5%
Masters 51.7%
Doctorate 3.1%
View as Graph

Academic Program Manager Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Academic Program Manager's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$127,061
Average $140,212/year
$155,670
$10,588
Average $11,684/month
$12,973
$2,443
Average $2,696/week
$2,994
$61
Average $67/hour
$75
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $155,670 $12,973 $2,994 $75
Average $140,212 $11,684 $2,696 $67
25th Percentile $127,061 $10,588 $2,443 $61

Most common benefits for Academic Program Manager

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Academic Program Manager

Here are companies hiring for Academic Program Manager and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Academic Program Manager Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Academic Program Manager job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

For Employees

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Get a Salary Increase

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

Search Job Openings

For Employers

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Adjust Employee Salary

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Price My Industry Jobs

FAQ about Academic Program Manager

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Academic Program Manager?

The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Academic Program Manager roles, with salaries approximately 30% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst