What does a graduate assistant do?
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.
Graduate assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real graduate assistant resumes:
- Lead a number of introductory and advance philosophy lecture courses under close faculty supervision.
- Manage graduate program twitter handle @ comugrad and assist in developing and implementing engagement strategies.
- Develop and manage syllabus material; evaluate students' performance relative to standardize learning objectives.
- Collaborate with professors to accomplish academic educations through fulfilling academic instruction tasks in blackboard system and other academic activities.
- Assist students with completing financial aid applications (FAFSA and TASFA) and applications for various scholarships.
- Handle administrative tasks including preparation of PowerPoint presentations data entry and analysis, website development and collation of marketing materials.
- Attend NUC, FBU, VTO and Nike SPARQ events to promote the NCSA brand.
- Lecture on topics of ethics and medicine.
- Introduce FAFSA concepts and FAFSA application process.
- Assist in the increase in followers for twitter account.
- Mix chemistry on a daily basis, prior to class time.
- Maintain listserv / test, diagnose and troubleshoot hardware and software.
- Work with medical office managers and staff to troubleshoot and solve critical issues.
- Ensure adherence to all university safety policies, codes of conduct, and ethics.
- Perform PhotoShop design work, making banners and images for website and online mailing layouts.
Graduate assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 7% of Graduate Assistants are proficient in Computer Lab, Undergraduate Courses, and Research Projects. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Graduate Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Computer Lab, 7%
Maintained computer hardware and software applications inventory for the purpose of ensuring availability of equipment and/or instructional material in computer lab.
- Undergraduate Courses, 6%
Complete day-to-day office administration duties; provide tutoring for undergraduate students; co-taught undergraduate courses; interim field placement coordinator
- Research Projects, 6%
Aided departmental faculty with various research endeavors by gathering and researching information pertaining to their individual faculty research projects they conducted.
- Student Athletes, 5%
Assisted collegiate student athletes academically and athletically
- Data Collection, 5%
Maintained graduate employment and continuing education database, assisted with data collection, and generated job placement rate reports.
- Alumni, 4%
Performed various administrative duties related to alumni communication, marketing, membership including research and organizing information for various initiatives.
Common skills that a graduate assistant uses to do their job include "computer lab," "undergraduate courses," and "research projects." You can find details on the most important graduate assistant responsibilities below.
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a graduate assistant to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "because coaches instruct, organize, and motivate athletes, they must be able to convey information clearly." Graduate assistants often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "conducted and summarized literature reviews regarding college students who are also parents, grandfather health communication with grandchildren. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling graduate assistant duties is interpersonal skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "being able to relate to athletes helps coaches and scouts foster positive relationships with their current players and in recruiting potential players." According to a graduate assistant resume, here's how graduate assistants can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "leveraged interpersonal skills to connect with alumni in order to increase awareness and involvement in alumni activities"
Leadership skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of graduate assistants is leadership skills. This skill is critical to many everyday graduate assistant duties, as "coaches must motivate, develop, and direct athletes to help them reach their potential." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided leadership, mentorship and coaching to 100+ student athletes on a daily basis. "
The three companies that hire the most graduate assistants are:
- Concordia University Irvine31 graduate assistants jobs
- UTRGV - The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley29 graduate assistants jobs
- Acuren25 graduate assistants jobs
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Compare different graduate assistants
Graduate assistant vs. Teaching fellow
An individual who works at an institution to foster the students' academic strive is known as a teaching fellow. They are known as a self-motivated and education-based counselor. They help to pursue a better career perspective in an individual's academic endeavors.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between graduate assistants and teaching fellow. For instance, graduate assistant responsibilities require skills such as "computer lab," "student athletes," "alumni," and "administrative tasks." Whereas a teaching fellow is skilled in "classroom management," "academic support," "rehabilitation," and "math." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Teaching fellows really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $49,553. Comparatively, graduate assistants tend to make the most money in the education industry with an average salary of $43,173.On average, teaching fellows reach similar levels of education than graduate assistants. Teaching fellows are 0.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 4.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Graduate assistant vs. Teaching internship
Typically, a Student Instructor engages students in learning the assignments, materials, pacing, resources, and activities. Student Instructors learn and enforce questioning and discussion strategies in promoting knowledge acquisition and student participation. Typically, they are studying at a graduate or college level. They eventually assume most responsibilities of teachers in the class like lesson planning, class management, and assessment.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that graduate assistant responsibilities requires skills like "computer lab," "undergraduate courses," "research projects," and "student athletes." But a teaching internship might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "classroom management," "kindergarten," "language arts," and "social studies."
In general, teaching interns achieve lower levels of education than graduate assistants. They're 8.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 4.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Graduate assistant vs. Student instructor
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from graduate assistant resumes include skills like "computer lab," "student athletes," "data collection," and "alumni," whereas a student instructor is more likely to list skills in "kids," "classroom management," "lab reports," and "syllabus. "
Student instructors earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $51,872. Comparatively, graduate assistants have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $43,173.student instructors typically earn similar educational levels compared to graduate assistants. Specifically, they're 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Graduate assistant vs. Doctoral student
Even though a few skill sets overlap between graduate assistants and doctoral students, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a graduate assistant might have more use for skills like "computer lab," "undergraduate courses," "student athletes," and "alumni." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of doctoral students require skills like "python," "java," "cell culture," and "chemistry. "
In general, doctoral students hold higher degree levels compared to graduate assistants. Doctoral students are 8.8% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 12.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of graduate assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
