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The differences between graduate student assistants and student research assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a graduate student assistant has an average salary of $37,164, which is higher than the $27,475 average annual salary of a student research assistant.
The top three skills for a graduate student assistant include cell culture, R and chemistry. The most important skills for a student research assistant are lab equipment, student research, and data collection.
| Graduate Student Assistant | Student Research Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $37,164 | $27,475 |
| Hourly rate | $17.87 | $13.21 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 20,764 | 59,758 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Years of experience | - | 2 |
Graduate student assistants are graduate students who are employed as support personnel in universities. They assist professors as teaching assistants, research assistants, or aides, depending on their assigned instructions. Their duties include assisting professors in administrative tasks, organizing undergraduate events, and conducting research as well as analyzing data. During the assistantship period, instead of wages, they are given a stipend as compensation to the service provided. This graduate assistantship gives graduate students relevant experience and more employment options in the future.
A student research assistant is responsible for supporting the school's research department on conducting various research tasks using the techniques and resources provided by the supervising faculty. Student research assistants collect and verify research data, interpret and document findings using research methodologies, organize and prepare research materials, write research reports, and provide recommendations to improve research strategies and techniques. A student research assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, as well as the ability to multitask and be a fast-learner to interpret data within a specific time.
Graduate student assistants and student research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graduate Student Assistant | Student Research Assistant | |
| Average salary | $37,164 | $27,475 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $64,000 | Between $19,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | Fairbanks, AK |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Security LLC | |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a graduate student assistant and a student research assistant in terms of educational background:
| Graduate Student Assistant | Student Research Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between graduate student assistants' and student research assistants' demographics:
| Graduate Student Assistant | Student Research Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1% | Male, 44.1% Female, 55.9% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 16.7% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |