| Grade | Education | General Experience | Specialized Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-5 | 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree | 3 years, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4 | None |
| GS-7 | 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement | None | 1 year equivalent to at least GS-5 |
| GS-9 | Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related | None | 1 year equivalent to at least GS-7 |
| GS-11 | Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related | None | 1 year equivalent to at least GS-9 |
| GS-12 and above | None | None | 1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level |
A Standard Form 50 (SF-50) contains your series, grade, and other information useful to you or required if applying for reinstatement. Download SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action.
The position description (PD) is a statement of the major duties, responsibilities, and supervisory relationships of a position. In its simplest form, a PD indicates the work to be performed by the position. The purpose of a PD is to document the major duties and responsibilities of a position, not to spell out in detail every possible activity during the work day.
A position classification is the process through which Federal jobs (i.e., positions) are assigned to a pay system, series, title, and grade or band, based on consistent application of position classification standards.
