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Graduate instruction assistant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a graduate instruction assistant. Graduate instruction assistants usually study english, psychology, or communication. 68% of graduate instruction assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 2,804 real graduate instruction assistant resumes to see exactly what graduate instruction assistant education sections show.

The most common colleges for graduate instruction assistants are the Texas State University and the Texas State University.

There are also many online graduate instruction assistant courses to help get the education required to be a graduate instruction assistant.

What education do you need to become a graduate instruction assistant?

What degree do you need to be a graduate instruction assistant?

The most common degree for graduate instruction assistants is bachelor's degree, with 68% of graduate instruction assistants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 24% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 68%
  • Master's, 24%
  • Doctorate, 5%
  • Associate, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a graduate instruction assistant?

You should major in english to become a graduate instruction assistant. 15% of graduate instruction assistants major in english. Other common majors for a graduate instruction assistant include psychology and communication.

Most common colleges for graduate instruction assistants

Graduate instruction assistants often get their degrees at Texas State University, Texas Tech University, and Brigham Young University. Here are the most common colleges for graduate instruction assistants in the US based on their resumes.
Graduate instruction assistant common collegePercentages
Texas State University20.96%
Texas Tech University9.85%
Brigham Young University5.87%
Purdue University5.87%
Texas A&M University4.82%

Best majors for graduate instruction assistants

RankMajorPercentages
1English15.4%
2Psychology12.5%
3Communication9.3%
4Mathematics5.6%
5Fine Arts5.2%

Best colleges for graduate instruction assistants

The best colleges for graduate instruction assistants are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

A graduate instruction assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for graduate instruction assistants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become graduate instruction assistants.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

In-state tuition

$55,466

Enrollment

6,752

10. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

20 best online courses for graduate instruction assistants

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1. Preparing for Graduate Study in the U.S.: A course for international students

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Preparing for graduate school in the United States can be nerve-wracking. Many international students have questions about what the programs are like and what resources they can use to excel in their studies. This course allows potential and incoming international students to practice their communication skills, identify tools that support academic success, and gain confidence as they prepare for their advanced degrees. Alongside advancing your English skills, get the chance to hear from...

2. Psychological Research

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This specialization is primarily aimed at first- and second-year undergraduates interested in psychology, data analysis, ethics in research, and quantitative research methods along with high school students and professionals with similar interests.\n\nLearners will develop knowledge about the fundamentals of research design for quantitative studies in psychology, analysis of data from quantitative studies in psychology, and ethical standards for conducting psychological research. Learning...

3. The 16-hour SPSS Pro: Analysis, Interpretation, and Write-Up

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16 Hours of Instruction From a 13 Year Researcher and College Instructor...

4. The complete Instructional Designer course

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Learn the skills to become an e Learning Instructional Designer for Corporate Learning and Development...

5. Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom

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Welcome to Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual Classroom! This course will help you apply strategies to the critical areas of K-12 virtual instruction to significantly impact virtual education. We will examine the pitfalls beginning teachers run into and learn how to overcome them by focusing on the fundamentals that have the greatest impact on student learning in a blended or online environment. By the end of the course, you will be able to empower your students to be voracious...

6. Graduate Admission Prediction with Pyspark ML

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In this 1 hour long project-based course, you will learn to build a linear regression model using Pyspark ML to predict students' admission at the university. We will use the graduate admission 2 data set from Kaggle. Our goal is to use a Simple Linear Regression Machine Learning Algorithm from the Pyspark Machine learning library to predict the chances of getting admission. We will be carrying out the entire project on the Google Colab environment with the installation of Pyspark. You will...

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Designing Successful ELearning Courses. Learn from a multi-award-winning instructional designer...

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Gain Mastery of Presentation Skills and Public Speaking Skills in One Hour...

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12. Google Assistant development with Actions on Google

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Google Assistant development in Node.js with Actions on Google & Dialog Flow & Firebase for Google Home & Android device...

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Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...

14. Instructional Design Pro (Part 3): No Beginners Allowed!

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Write Golden Training Curriculum that's Easier to Learn and More Enjoyable to Teach...

15. Elearning 2023: Create & Sell Online Courses

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Instructional design to create online courses or teach online on Thinkific Elearning. Create an online course & sell...

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17. Public Speaking Training & Facilitator Certification

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18. Public Speaking for People Who Hate Public Speaking

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Public Speaking for People Who Hate Public Speaking - Presentation Skills - Communication Skills and Storytelling...

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Teaching Skills and Classroom Management...

20. Virtual Assistant Training, a Complete Guide: Work From Home

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Rock Star Virtual Assistant Training: Create an online business + become a freelancing virtual professional in any field...

Top 10 most affordable universities for graduate instruction assistants

The most affordable schools for graduate instruction assistants are Baruch College of the City University of New York, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and hunter college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for graduate instruction assistants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for graduate instruction assistants.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

3. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for graduate instruction assistants

The hardest universities for graduate instruction assistants to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.

Some great schools for graduate instruction assistants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for graduate instruction assistants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Hamilton College

Clinton, NY • Private

Admissions rate

21%

SAT average

1,446

6. University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK • Private

Admissions rate

41%

SAT average

1,321

7. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

9. Tulane University

New Orleans, LA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,428

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for graduate instruction assistants

The easiest schools for graduate instruction assistants to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, gwynedd mercy university, and nyack college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a graduate instruction assistant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for graduate instruction assistants.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

3. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

6. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

7. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

Average graduate instruction assistant salary by education level

Graduate instruction assistants with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $84,899 annually. With a Master's degree, graduate instruction assistants earn a median annual income of $81,729 compared to $71,051 for graduate instruction assistants with an Bachelor's degree.
Graduate instruction assistant education levelGraduate instruction assistant salary
Master's Degree$81,729
High School Diploma or Less$66,253
Bachelor's Degree$71,051
Doctorate Degree$84,899
Some College/ Associate Degree$67,721

Graduate instruction assistant education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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