They teach classes and conduct important research, but recently, some people have raised questions about the workload of graduate students.
According to national reports, concerns arose last month after students at California State University admitted to faking answers on a survey for a criminal justice class.
The incident caused many in the academic community to wonder whether unreasonable demands are being placed on graduate students who must perform research and other activities for professors.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 23 percent of all graduate students take part in some type of teaching or research assistantship, in addition to taking graduate-level courses.
Paul Lieber, a mass communication graduate student, said although graduate students are required to put in 20 hours of work per week, he often works more hours.
This semester, Lieber is taking part in a teaching assistantship, in which graduate students teach a class drawing from their area of expertise.
Lieber said he also has taken part in research assistantships, which require graduate students to perform research duties with a professor in their discipline.
Lieber said he thought the incident at California State was “completely out of the norm for grad students.”
Lieber said graduate students are judged primarily on the merits of their research work, and there could be severe consequences for graduate students who compromise their research work.
“If you ruin your research reputation, you’re finished academically and professionally,” Lieber said.
Different departments require graduate students to perform different activities, from hands-on research to teaching in the classroom.
Gregg Henderson, an entomology professor who oversees graduate students in the department, said most graduate students he works with conduct important research work alongside professors.
Henderson said although professors oversee the work, the students do not work for the professors, but are furthering their education through their research work.
Henderson said he thought the work the graduate students do is beneficial to both them and members of the public.
Lieber said many graduate students perform general duties that professors simply do not have time to do themselves.
“Commonly you find yourself doing the ‘filling in the blanks’ data entry research work they’d never have time to do themselves, to ensure they stay on track with their research timelines,” Lieber said.
Lieber said while he does feel burdened between taking three classes, gathering data for research, looking for jobs and performing other duties, he does feel a sense of support from others in the department.
“While often feeling overburdened, I wouldn’t say any of this is unfair or unreasonable,” Lieber said. “I’m very fortunate to have a dean and associate graduate dean at the Manship School who watch their grad students’ backs. They keep the process a fair one.”