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What is a student research assistant and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted experts
Ben Brown,
Daniel Patten Ph.D.
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A student research assistant must assist the school's research sector in executing several research duties. While carrying out this duty, you must utilize the resources and techniques made available by the overseeing faculty. Additionally, you have to gather and validate research data and document research reports. You have to also supply suggestions to enhance research skills and methods and you must be able to decipher and record discoveries using research techniques and prepare and arrange to search equipment. In addition, you have to generate and execute control strategies for qualitative research. Also, you must improve the collation of data and materials for different reports, projects, and document project research overviews as demanded. Essentially, you will have to also carry out quantitative and qualitative evaluations of data, utilizing computer software as needed.

To fit into this role of a student research assistant, you must have at least a bachelor's degree or a master's degree in psychology, chemistry, or related courses. Furthermore, you must demonstrate excellent multitasking, interaction, and organizational skills. As a student research assistant in the United States, you will earn an average of $34,825 every year.

What general advice would you give to a student research assistant?

Ben BrownBen Brown LinkedIn profile

Professor, Ohio State University

There are a lot of good jobs out there, and people are hiring. The job market just looks a little different because most of it is virtual. This may mean that the applicant has to source out employers instead of the employers coming to the student in the form of career fairs.
ScoreStudent Research AssistantUS Average
Salary
2.1

Avg. Salary $27,475

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
4.5

Growth rate 19%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.3
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.03%

Asian 16.66%

Black or African American 8.55%

Hispanic or Latino 15.24%

Unknown 6.01%

White 52.51%

Gender

female 55.88%

male 44.12%

Age - 35
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35
Stress level
4.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Student research assistant career paths

Key steps to become a student research assistant

  1. Explore student research assistant education requirements

    Most common student research assistant degrees

    Bachelor's

    76.9 %

    Master's

    11.7 %

    Associate

    5.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific student research assistant skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Lab Equipment10.38%
    Student Research8.59%
    Data Collection7.51%
    Research Projects7.10%
    Laboratory Equipment6.58%
  3. Complete relevant student research assistant training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New student research assistants learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a student research assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real student research assistant resumes.
  4. Research student research assistant duties and responsibilities

    • Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
    • Perform PCR amplification and electrophoresis.
    • Prepare agarose gels for electrophoresis and sequencing.
    • Perform biological experiments which provide data for further DNA analysis.
  5. Prepare your student research assistant resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your student research assistant resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a student research assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable student research assistant resume templates

    Build a professional student research assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your student research assistant resume.
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    Student Research Assistant Resume
  6. Apply for student research assistant jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a student research assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first student research assistant job

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Average student research assistant salary

The average student research assistant salary in the United States is $27,475 per year or $13 per hour. Student research assistant salaries range between $19,000 and $37,000 per year.

Average student research assistant salary
$27,475 Yearly
$13.21 hourly

What am I worth?

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How do student research assistants rate their job?

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Student research assistant reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019
Pros

I like to explore more in community health related field and benefit the future generations from avoidable diseases and help them with information related to health aspects.

Cons

None


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

What I like is that,you get to interact with different people from various communities.Relationships are formed in the process

Cons

Language barrier can be a problem,because communication needs to be formed in the language that each community you interact with understands.


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A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019
Cons

nothing


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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