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The differences between graduate interns and graduate assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a graduate internship has an average salary of $52,511, which is higher than the $31,704 average annual salary of a graduate assistant.
The top three skills for a graduate internship include patients, python and java. The most important skills for a graduate assistant are computer lab, undergraduate courses, and research projects.
| Graduate Internship | Graduate Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $52,511 | $31,704 |
| Hourly rate | $25.25 | $15.24 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 20% |
| Number of jobs | 48,962 | 3,026 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A graduate internship is a short-term experience that oftentimes leads to a permanent position. The academic program allows graduates to experience different roles within an organization. This professional learning experience provides them with practical and meaningful work associated with their career interest or field of study. Many interns are hired by the company where they are working under an internship program due to their relevant work 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.
Graduate interns and graduate assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graduate Internship | Graduate Assistant | |
| Average salary | $52,511 | $31,704 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $88,000 | Between $11,000 And $85,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Menorah Medical Center | Sotheby's Institute of Art |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Education |
There are a few differences between a graduate internship and a graduate assistant in terms of educational background:
| Graduate Internship | Graduate Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between graduate interns' and graduate assistants' demographics:
| Graduate Internship | Graduate Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9% | Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 10.4% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |