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The differences between graduate assistants and graduate researchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a graduate researcher has an average salary of $32,346, which is higher than the $31,704 average annual salary of a graduate assistant.
The top three skills for a graduate assistant include computer lab, undergraduate courses and research projects. The most important skills for a graduate researcher are R, cell culture, and research projects.
| Graduate Assistant | Graduate Researcher | |
| Yearly salary | $31,704 | $32,346 |
| Hourly rate | $15.24 | $15.55 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 3,026 | 17,313 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Graduate assistants are graduate or postgraduate students in a university who work part-time for a researcher, professor, or department in the university. They do a variety of tasks that would help expose them more to the field they are doing their studies in. Graduate assistants help researchers by conducting interviews, testing research tools, encoding and analyzing data, creating presentation materials, and managing the research schedule. They help professors in preparing for lessons, creating and updating presentation materials, and even trying their hand in teaching the professor's students. They help university departments in administrative, clerical, research, and any other task that may be needed.
A graduate researcher is responsible for supporting an educational institution's academic research processes. Graduate researchers assist in data gathering and performing in-depth analysis using research methodologies under the supervision of a research professor. In some cases, graduate researchers also conduct field investigations and analyze other research publications to verify data accuracy. They prepare reports, share recommendations, and keep an organized database for research records. A graduate researcher must have excellent communication skills, both written and oral, as this task requires interaction with the researchers and writing duties.
Graduate assistants and graduate researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graduate Assistant | Graduate Researcher | |
| Average salary | $31,704 | $32,346 |
| Salary range | Between $11,000 And $85,000 | Between $15,000 And $68,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | - |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | - |
| Best paying company | Sotheby's Institute of Art | - |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between a graduate assistant and a graduate researcher in terms of educational background:
| Graduate Assistant | Graduate Researcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between graduate assistants' and graduate researchers' demographics:
| Graduate Assistant | Graduate Researcher | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1% | Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 11.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |