Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between graduate research assistants and graduate research students can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a graduate research student has an average salary of $34,658, which is higher than the $34,230 average annual salary of a graduate research assistant.
The top three skills for a graduate research assistant include R, technical reports and research projects. The most important skills for a graduate research student are lab equipment, laboratory equipment, and python.
| Graduate Research Assistant | Graduate Research Student | |
| Yearly salary | $34,230 | $34,658 |
| Hourly rate | $16.46 | $16.66 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 52,695 | 58,921 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of 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 research students are learners who conduct degree program-related research in a research unit or an academic department. These students manage themselves independently as well as their work. They make certain that they have familiarized the requirements of the university. Educators and other scholars expect them to develop enough research and skills. Their responsibilities include academic honesty, participation in supervisory meetings, and maintenance of effective supervisor communication. In terms of their research, they should have a research plan ahead.
Graduate research assistants and graduate research students have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graduate Research Assistant | Graduate Research Student | |
| Average salary | $34,230 | $34,658 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $52,000 | Between $19,000 And $60,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | Capgemini |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a graduate research assistant and a graduate research student in terms of educational background:
| Graduate Research Assistant | Graduate Research Student | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Biology |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between graduate research assistants' and graduate research students' demographics:
| Graduate Research Assistant | Graduate Research Student | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8% | Male, 47.2% Female, 52.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |