Accredited schools offer taxation degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Taxation programs emphasize knowledge and skills used in tax preparation and compliance. You can choose a domestic focus on the United States, learn about international taxation, or both.
Bachelor's programs usually offer taxation as a concentration within accounting, business, and pre-law degrees. Academic paths dedicated exclusively to taxation generally become available to graduate students, with many schools offering master's in taxation programs.
This program guide introduces taxation degrees, exploring the available types, formats, levels, and specializations schools offer. It also covers certification programs, which college graduates and working professionals often use to expand and sharpen their tax knowledge.
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What Is Taxation?
Accounting programs concentrate on standard practices for tracking, classifying, and recording financial transactions. They also develop strategic planning and advisory services provided by advanced accounting professionals. Taxation is a major focus of these strategic skill sets, as individuals and businesses seek to minimize their tax liabilities while remaining compliant.
College students can typically begin taxation-focused studies through bachelor's programs in accounting, business, or law. Many schools offer tax concentrations in these areas to build general and focused knowledge.
Students and professionals working toward tax-focused career specializations can also pursue postgraduate certifications and master's degrees in taxation. Some schools also offer doctorates in taxation. Doctoral programs more directly support career paths in taxation research and policy development.
With advanced taxation knowledge, you can pursue specialized career paths in accounting, business, and law. Examples include the tax accountant, tax attorney, tax consultant, tax manager, and tax preparer professional paths, among others.
What Skills Do Taxation Programs Teach?
Undergraduate accounting programs with taxation specializations focus on accounting skills in various contexts. Students can dedicate their elective components to taxation coursework, building knowledge of introductory and advanced concepts in individual and business taxation.
At the master's level, taxation degrees cover the subject in greater depth. Courses become highly focused, examining the tax implications of various asset classes and financial management strategies. Programs emphasize the technical research, strategic, and decision-making skills taxation professionals use when guiding clients and employers.
You can also pursue a graduate certificate in taxation. These programs typically appeal to students with undergraduate accounting, business, or pre-law degrees who want to build further taxation knowledge. Certificate programs typically cover topics and skills similar to those featured in graduate programs but in a broader survey-style format.
Some bachelor's and master's programs also cover taxation theory and policy development in varying levels of detail. If you want to build advanced knowledge in these areas, a doctoral program might make a good match.
What Are the Types of Taxation Degrees?
Schools mainly offer taxation degrees at the bachelor's and master's levels. Tax-focused bachelor's degrees provide excellent training for entry-level roles like the tax preparer career path. They can prepare you for examinations leading to certified public accountant (CPA) or certified management accountant (CMA) licensure or certification.
Master's programs in taxation more directly support specialized and advanced professional roles in tax accounting, tax management, and tax law.
While not covered below due to their relative rarity, doctoral programs allow you to study taxation theory, policy, and research in deep detail.
At the bachelor's level, taxation degrees mainly operate within accounting, business, and pre-law programs. These degrees usually comprise 120-128 credits and require the equivalent of four academic years of full-time study.
Accounting degrees with taxation specializations typically include core courses, electives, and concentration requirements. Core coursework covers standard and essential accounting concepts. Your concentration requirements will focus solely on taxation, while electives may cover other accounting or taxation concepts.
These programs may prepare you for career paths similar to those supported by general degrees in accounting. However, you will build a knowledge of taxation that may support entry to specialized paths in accounting, business management or administration, or tax law.
Degree designations vary among schools, and may include:
- Bachelor of arts or bachelor of science (BS) in accounting or business with a taxation concentration
- Bachelor of accountancy in taxation
- Bachelor of business administration with a taxation concentration
- BS in business administration with a taxation concentration
- BS in legal studies with a taxation concentration
Master's degrees in taxation usually cover 30-36 semester credits of coursework and require two years of full-time study. However, some schools offer "4+1" accounting programs in taxation leading to dual bachelor's and master's degrees. You can complete these in five years, saving yourself a year of graduate-level study.
Compared to general master's degrees in accounting, master's programs in taxation cover tax topics in more detail. A master's degree in taxation may help you qualify for highly specialized professional tracks in tax accounting, tax management, and tax law.
Accredited institutions offer master's-level taxation degrees in many configurations. These include:
- Master of science (MS) in taxation programs
- Master of accountancy (MAcc) in taxation
- Master of business administration (MBA) with a taxation concentration
- Dual MS-MBA programs in taxation
An MS in taxation generally complements undergraduate degrees in accounting, business, and pre-law. MAcc programs prepare students for careers in tax accounting, while MBA programs may match your goals if you hope to work in a tax-focused capacity as a business manager or executive.
Find out more about on-campus taxation master's programs
Find out more about online taxation master's programs
Graduate certificate programs in taxation generally feature 3-4 courses covering the equivalent of 9-12 semester credits. They offer an efficient path to building taxation knowledge. Students can usually complete them in 1-2 semesters.
Schools generally design their graduate certificate programs in taxation for learners with undergraduate degrees in accounting, business, or law. Certificate programs serve as complementary credentials, mainly for professionals looking to advance their careers or enter tax-focused professional paths.
Certification in Taxation
You can pursue multiple professional certifications in taxation. These credentials may help you market yourself to clients and qualify for specific tax-focused career paths.
Common examples include the tax preparation certifications associated with CPAs or the Internal Revenue Service's registered tax return preparer (RTRP) or enrolled agent (EA) programs. Earning these credentials involves a combination of accounting education, targeted skills development, and certification examinations.
At a more advanced level, you can also pursue the certified tax advisor credential offered by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). To qualify, you will need at least five years of experience as a taxation professional. You must also complete an 18-hour training course offered by FINRA.
The accredited tax advisor certification offered by the Accreditation Council for Accountancy and Taxation (ACAT) is another available credential. For eligibility, you must draw on professional experience acquired through paid employment to pass a rigorous ACAT exam.
Depending on your career path, one or more of these certifications may be required. For example, you must hold RTRP or EA credentials to legally offer certain tax preparation or advisory services in the United States.
In cases where certifications are optional, they can still advance your career objectives by helping you qualify for specialized and/or higher-paid positions.
Is Taxation Better As an Undergrad or Graduate Degree?
An undergraduate taxation degree offers efficient preparation for entry into accounting and tax preparation careers. You can also meet the educational requirements for CPA or CMA licensure or certification by completing a bachelor's degree in accounting with a taxation focus. CPA and CMA paths are some of the best jobs you can get with a bachelor's degree.
Graduate-level taxation degrees generally make a better match if you plan to pursue a specialized advanced career in tax accounting, tax law, or business management. Students can also enter master's programs in taxation after completing general undergraduate programs.
You might have wanted to keep as many options open as possible while studying at the bachelor's level. Similarly, you may have been undecided about the specifics of your career path as an undergraduate.
Finally, note the potential benefits of pursuing undergraduate and graduate taxation degrees. This option can help you acquire highly developed and specialized taxation knowledge, which may serve you well if you are certain of your career path and plan to work as a tax accountant, tax advisor, or tax lawyer.
Common Questions About Taxation Degrees
What is a degree in taxation?
Taxation degrees offer focused coursework in technical tax topics relevant to taxpayers and businesses. They help students master tax-advantaged financial management strategies that comply with domestic or international law.
What is the difference between accounting and taxation?
Accounting covers the theories, standard practices, and principles of tracking, classifying, and recording financial transactions, while taxation focuses solely on the tax implications generated by financial activity. Many academic programs treat taxation as a specialized subfield of accounting or law.
Which courses are best for taxation?
It depends on your interests and professional goals. If you plan to become a tax attorney, focus on courses that cover U.S. or international tax law. If you want to work as a tax accountant, tax advisor, tax preparer, or tax manager, take classes that cover strategic, tax-advantaged approaches to asset management, finance, and accounting.
Is a taxation master's worth it?
A master's degree in taxation provides excellent preparation for advanced careers in taxation-focused areas. Master's programs cover taxation with technical detail rarely offered at the undergraduate level.
