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The differences between faculty research assistants and graduate research assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a faculty research assistant has an average salary of $59,697, which is higher than the $34,230 average annual salary of a graduate research assistant.
The top three skills for a faculty research assistant include research faculty, C++ and biomedical. The most important skills for a graduate research assistant are R, technical reports, and research projects.
| Faculty Research Assistant | Graduate Research Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $59,697 | $34,230 |
| Hourly rate | $28.70 | $16.46 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 56,780 | 52,695 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
The main job of a faculty research assistant is to gather and log experimental data. Faculty research assistants analyze the statistical aspect of data sets. They prepare spreadsheets and graphs to portray research results. Their duties and responsibilities include the creation of posters and slides to aid researchers in presenting their findings. They need to develop skills in communication, technical, critical thinking, scheduling, and planning. Also, they must know how to maintain safety, quality, and infection control standards.
Graduate research assistants are students who work for senior researchers or professors. They help professors in their research. Usually, graduate research assistants are given allowances or stipends in exchange for their help. Graduate research assistants help the researcher in testing research tools, gathering data, and analyzing data. They may also help researchers in creating presentations, interpreting data through graphs, and crafting other collateral that the researcher may need. It is usually required that the graduate research assistant is studying a specific field related to the research topic.
Faculty research assistants and graduate research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Faculty Research Assistant | Graduate Research Assistant | |
| Average salary | $59,697 | $34,230 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $92,000 | Between $22,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Education |
There are a few differences between a faculty research assistant and a graduate research assistant in terms of educational background:
| Faculty Research Assistant | Graduate Research Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Biology | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between faculty research assistants' and graduate research assistants' demographics:
| Faculty Research Assistant | Graduate Research Assistant | |
| Average age | 38 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7% | Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 16.5% White, 52.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |