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The differences between graduate interns and graduate research 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 $34,230 average annual salary of a graduate research assistant.
The top three skills for a graduate internship include patients, python and java. The most important skills for a graduate research assistant are R, technical reports, and research projects.
| Graduate Internship | Graduate Research Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $52,511 | $34,230 |
| Hourly rate | $25.25 | $16.46 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 48,962 | 52,695 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| 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 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.
Graduate interns and graduate research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graduate Internship | Graduate Research Assistant | |
| Average salary | $52,511 | $34,230 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $88,000 | Between $22,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Menorah Medical Center | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Education |
There are a few differences between a graduate internship and a graduate research assistant in terms of educational background:
| Graduate Internship | Graduate Research Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between graduate interns' and graduate research assistants' demographics:
| Graduate Internship | Graduate Research Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9% | Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8% |
| 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, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |