Is an Asst Professor a TA or is it a junior grade associate professor?
http://www.wcl.american.edu/faculty/frost/
Amanda Frost
Assistant Professor of Law
Areas of Specialization
Civil Procedure
Federal Courts
Currently Teaching
Appellate Advocacy
Civil Procedure
Federal Courts
Dwight: "I'm the Associate Professor."
Michael: "Associate TO the Professor."
Assistant Professor is the entry level position leading to Associate and then Full Professor. In many colleges you need to have completed Post Doctoral work. Of course at some colleges they will take someone with a Master's. It depends on the competitiveness of the university.
When first hired as a professor the title is assistant professor. It is a little misleading because it is not in any way an "assistant" type position. It is a full-time teaching position same as a full professor. They have to be promoted to "Associate Professor" and again to "Professor" which usually corresponds to higher pay. The time it takes to be promoted can vary, but typically:
Assistant Professor = Years 1-5
Associate Professor = Years 6-10
Professor = Years 11-30