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The differences between graduate research assistants and graduate teaching assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a graduate teaching assistant has an average salary of $44,994, 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 teaching assistant are lab experiments, laboratory sections, and undergraduate courses.
| Graduate Research Assistant | Graduate Teaching Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,230 | $44,994 |
| Hourly rate | $16.46 | $21.63 |
| Growth rate | 19% | - |
| Number of jobs | 52,695 | 12,598 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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.
A Graduate Teaching Assistant may work in Learning Facilities by teaching short courses under supervision or assist the Faculty Staff in various aspects such as research. They can also lend a hand in preparing and creating learning materials such as presentations, handouts, and other teaching-related tasks. Furthermore, among the duties of a Graduate Teaching Assistant may include handling written reports, preparing or cleaning laboratories and facilities, grading and evaluating students' papers, and preparing examinations or other quiz material.
Graduate research assistants and graduate teaching assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graduate Research Assistant | Graduate Teaching Assistant | |
| Average salary | $34,230 | $44,994 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $52,000 | Between $27,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Terre Haute, IN |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | California State University, Fullerton |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a graduate research assistant and a graduate teaching assistant in terms of educational background:
| Graduate Research Assistant | Graduate Teaching Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Biology |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between graduate research assistants' and graduate teaching assistants' demographics:
| Graduate Research Assistant | Graduate Teaching Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.2% Female, 45.8% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| 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, 17.7% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |