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The differences between teaching & research assistants and graduate student 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 $36,796 average annual salary of a teaching & research assistant.
The top three skills for a teaching & research assistant include lab reports, laboratory sessions and organic chemistry. The most important skills for a graduate student assistant are cell culture, R, and chemistry.
| Teaching & Research Assistant | Graduate Student Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $36,796 | $37,164 |
| Hourly rate | $17.69 | $17.87 |
| Growth rate | - | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 48,936 | 20,764 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
The job of teaching and research assistants is to support faculty members in course material preparation and instruction. They often work in educational institutions such as universities and colleges. They perform varied duties and responsibilities that may include organizing visual aids and reference materials, conducting discussion groups, laboratory sessions, and seminars, and grading term papers, exams, and laboratory reports. Teaching and research assistants may also teach sections, conduct tutorials, and assist in overseeing study projects. The skills and qualifications required for this role may include being enrolled in a doctoral or master's study program and excellent communication skills.
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.
Teaching & research assistants and graduate student assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Teaching & Research Assistant | Graduate Student Assistant | |
| Average salary | $36,796 | $37,164 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $64,000 | Between $21,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Berkeley, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Los Alamos National Security LLC |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between a teaching & research assistant and a graduate student assistant in terms of educational background:
| Teaching & Research Assistant | Graduate Student Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Biology |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between teaching & research assistants' and graduate student assistants' demographics:
| Teaching & Research Assistant | Graduate Student Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.0% Female, 44.0% | Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 11.6% White, 54.2% 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% |