35 BEST MASTER'S DEGREES IN TAXATION

Updated December 6, 2022

Career opportunities are abundant within the accounting sector, especially for those with taxation specializations. Enhance your career by enrolling in one of the 35 Best Master's Degrees in Taxation. The career trajectory for those with master's degrees in the specialized field of taxation is a far one. People who earn a degree within this area ...

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Career opportunities are abundant within the accounting sector, especially for those with taxation specializations. Enhance your career by enrolling in one of the 35 Best Master's Degrees in Taxation.

The career trajectory for those with master's degrees in the specialized field of taxation is a far one. People who earn a degree within this area are looking at job prospects anywhere from a tax specialist or revenue agent up to a chief financial officer or hedge fund manager. While the job field is vast, the degree requirements are narrow and focused with a heavy emphasis on the tax code.

Most of the programs on this list also fulfill the requirements for those who wish to sit in on the Certified Public Accountant exam for licensing. The strength of the programs lies within the networking opportunities in the form of alumni groups, corporate partnerships, and cohorts of peers. Graduates can choose a career in the industry that best suits them with openings in the Big 4 accounting firms, public accounting firms, boutique firms, hedge funds, or government organizations.

Selection Criteria

Best Value Schools publishes college degree rankings with the belief of how one's higher education should be, both, affordable and an investment of continued value for the students who pursue them. The staff of BVS collects data from reputable sources in order to calculate Net Price and the short and long-term value of every ranked degree. Collected data is simplified into weighted categories before scoring and then scaled through a BVS Score up to 100. The weighted categories are:

  • Degree Investment Return (25%)
  • Student & Alumni Evaluation (25%)
  • Cost Value (25%)
  • Matriculation (10%)
  • Academic Success (15%)

No matter what degree you decide on, we hope our research and support has made the selection process easier. There are numerous resources BVS utilizes to collect information on degrees, and we encourage you to check them out for yourself!

Here are the 35 Best Master's in Taxation!
#1 California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA
#2 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
#3 Arizona State University-Tempe Tempe, AZ
#4 SUNY at Albany Albany, NY
#5 Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ
#6 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
#7 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
#8 University of Mississippi University, MS
#9 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
#10 Northeastern University Boston, MA

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  1. California Polytechnic State University
    Location

    San Luis Obispo, CA

    Tuition

    $19002

    California Polytechnic State University offers a Master of Science in Taxation degree. This degree requires 45-49 quarter units to be completed over a rigorous 10-month period. In addition to the intensive coursework, there is also a mandatory internship requirement to be met. The Cal Poly MS Tax degree has classes that include Effective Communication Skills for Managers, State, and Local Taxation, and International Taxation. The mandatory internship through the program is designed to provide students with clinical tax experience. This allows students to take the theoretical and apply it to the practical. What makes this such a valuable component to the degree of pursuit is that students get to serve in supervised, full-time work environments.

  2. California State University - Fullerton
    Location

    Fullerton, CA

    Tuition

    $8562

    California State University-Fullerton offers a Master of Science in Taxation. The program requires a minimum of 30 units to be completed. Interested applicants do not need to submit GMAT or GRE scores, but those with grade point averages below 3.3 are strongly encouraged to do so. A professional resume, statement of purpose, and leadership and creativity statement are all required along with the application for admission.

    This competitive degree program requires students to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 throughout attendance. During their time in this program, MST students enhance written and oral communication skills, gain advanced research skills, learn to be part of a team, and strengthen their foundational professional skills to increase their responsibilities and earning potential.

  3. Arizona State University-Tempe
    Location

    Tempe, AZ

    Tuition

    $12947

    Arizona State University - Tempe offers a Master of Taxation degree program. ASU designed its MST to be completed in just nine months. Students are expected to submit their GMAT or GRE scores along with transcripts for admission consideration. Those looking for more information on the application process can request it directly from the ASU website. Required courses include Multi-Jurisdictional Tax, Taxes, and Business Strategy, and Analytics and Accountants.

    ASU's MTax program is taught at the W. P. Carey School of Business, which provides a class update with statistics on admitted students. For example, the class of Fall 2018 was made up of an average of 26, the average grade point average was 3.56, and of the 49 applications, 35 students were admitted. This type of clarity allows applicants to measure themselves up to previously accepted class data.

  4. SUNY at Albany
    Location

    Albany, NY

    Tuition

    $16100

    SUNY at Albany offers a Taxation Master of Science Degree program. Admission to this program is degree specific and requires a bachelor's in accounting or another related field. Applicants who wish to take the part-time route must have a total of three years of full-time work experience in the accounting field. The MS-Tax program requires the completion of 30 units. Students typically finish the degree in one year with full-time enrollment.

    SUNY states that a significant number of their graduates are placed with Big Four, medium-sized, and regional CPA firms. Students are introduced to sophisticated accounting techniques and rigorous courses. The program introduces students to various areas of taxation including deferred compensation and profit sharing, internal taxation, and international taxation.

  5. Rutgers University-Newark
    Location

    Newark, NJ

    Tuition

    $12020

    Rutgers University offers a Master of Accountancy in Taxation degree program. The program runs through Rutgers Business School and is a 30-credit program that is taken part-time. Students of this program are expected to supplement their existing career with this program. Some of the core classes include Regulation of Tax Practice, Corporate Income Taxation, and Ethics in Business. Thirteen units of electives supplement these core courses.

    Rutgers is a highly respected institution and for a good reason. The faculty that guides the in-class learning environment are comprised of professionals that are at the top of their field of expertise. They have experts on international tax, federal tax, and pension profit-sharing all under one roof. This is part of the reason that graduates command high salaries once they receive their degree. These opportunities for employment are regularly circulated among the tight network of Rutgers alumni and current students.

  6. San Jose State University
    Location

    San Jose, CA

    Tuition

    $13906

    San Jose State University offers a Master of Science in Taxation degree program. The MST requires 30 units and can be completed during full-time enrollment in just 12 months. Students who cannot commit to a full-time schedule can take the part-time path and fulfill the degree requirements in 24-36 months. Students must have a bachelor's degree, a 3.0 GPA over there last 60 semester or 90 quarter units, appropriate GMAT or GRE scores, and a personal statement. Those who complete the MST program at San Jose State are bestowed with having high distinction within the tax world. Students are expected to have experience within the field of taxation, be skilled in diligent research practices, and be able to guide clients and organizations through tax problems that arise adeptly.

  7. Mississippi State University
    Location

    Mississippi State, MS

    Tuition

    $16056

    Mississippi State University offers a Master of Taxation degree program to all interested students looking to further their education or supplement their career. This program requires 30 hours of graduate coursework. Students who wish to apply need to submit letters of reference, possess a grade point average of 2.90 or above, have a GMAT score of 450 or above, and have a grade point average of 2.60 or above in upper-division accounting courses.

    This program seeks to enhance existing skills while preparing students for a career in taxation. Students build their curriculum to meet personal career goals and focus on a specialization through the electives they choose. Those who pursue this program take classes that include Cost Accounting, Business Assurance, and Research in Tax Practice and Procedures.

  8. University of Mississippi
    Location

    University, MS

    Tuition

    $14259

    Through the Patterson School of Accountancy, the University of Mississippi offers a Master of Taxation program. The MST program requires 30 semester hours for completion. The courses that make up the curriculum include Internal/Operational Auditing, Accounting Problems, and Professional Report Writing. The Patterson School of Accountancy has been ranked in the Public Accounting Report every year since 2005. What makes the school so respected is the rigorous educational experience that is injected into each program by the renowned faculty. This spirit is taken by the students who then go out into their careers and impact their fields with the same invigoration. Both students and faculty meet the objectives of the program.

  9. University of Southern California
    Location

    Los Angeles, CA

    Tuition

    $32892

    The University of Southern California offers a Master of Business Taxation degree program through its Marshall School of Business. USC's MST program requires a minimum of 30 units of credit for completion. Applicants should be prepared to meet several requirements. Applicants needs at least one year of full-time work experience in a tax-related position, a current resume, two letters of recommendation, a personal statement, a minimum 3.0 GPA from their undergraduate work, and prerequisites must be met.

    While USC's admission process looks to be a tall order, the program is worth the effort. Graduates of USC develop careers with household tax names such as Big Four accounting firms, government placement, and boutique accounting firms. There is also 95 percent of those enrolled possess their CPA certification. Students receive the same curriculum whether they are full-time, part-time, or taking classes at their own pace online.

  10. Northeastern University
    Location

    Boston, MA

    Tuition

    $30784

    Northeastern University offers a Master of Science in Taxation. This Boston-based university offers an MS program that can be completed by full-time students in just 12 months. The MST requires a minimum of 30 credit hours. Students will complete 15 core class units and 15 elective units. These courses include Corporations and Shareholder, Tax Research Methodology, and Partners and Partnerships.

    Northeastern's dynamic program can be taken part-time or online as well. The university understands that some of those interested in advancing their education and career may be pressed for time on their schedule, but still seek resources to improve their career trajectory. Regardless of program preference, all students receive the same quality of education and exposure to the skills needed for success in the world of taxation.

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