Bryant University Master of Science in Taxation in 2027

Bryant's Master of Science in Taxation (MST) is a fully online, asynchronous program with five start dates a year, ten tax courses and a total cost of $24,365 once fees are counted. You can finish in about a year or stretch it across four.

Bryant University is a private nonprofit school in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and it's built its taxation master's for people who already work. You take ten tax courses, each lasting 10 weeks, plus a one-credit orientation before you start. Inside each 10-week course you set your own pace, and the school describes the format as online and asynchronous with occasional Zoom classes.

The catalog describes the degree as one for people who have a basic knowledge of the Internal Revenue Code and want advanced knowledge of federal and state tax law. Classes are small, you get personal mentoring, and the school says your instructors bring decades of experience.

The degree may be applied toward the 150-hour education requirement for CPA licensure, and the school's program page says you can complete that requirement and prepare for licensure through this program. The school lists skills you build, including advising on estate and wealth management, understanding the federal income taxation of S corporations, researching tax law and applying data visualization to communicate with clients.

Graduates can aim for a partner seat at an accounting firm or work in private industry, a nonprofit or government. Bryant also points to a network of professors and alumni across major corporations.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Working accountants who want a tax specialty: you're picking ten courses from a long list, so you can build around the work you already do, from pass-through entities to estates and trusts.
• Candidates short of the 150 credit hours for CPA licensure: the school says the degree may be applied toward that 150-hour education requirement.
• Busy professionals who need control of their calendar: each course runs 10 weeks at your own pace, and you can pause between sessions when life's heavy.
• Applicants without test scores: Bryant asks for a statement of objectives, a resume, one professional letter of recommendation and transcripts, and requires no Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).
• Employees whose company helps pay for school: Bryant accepts payments from employers with tuition assistance programs.

You'll complete ten courses from the catalog list, and every one of them is tax. Individual Income Taxation covers the federal statutes, regulations, rulings and leading cases, including gross income, deductions and accounting methods. Tax Practice and Procedure walks through how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) handles rulings, collections and enforcement, and it covers the ethical duties of a practitioner who represents taxpayers.

Pass-Through Entities digs into partnerships, S corporations and limited liability companies, with attention to the choice of entity. State and Local Tax Practice looks at how multi-state income is allocated and apportioned, state taxation of e-commerce, and personal income, transaction and property taxes, and International Tax Practice covers the foreign tax credit, permanent establishments and treaties.

Sales and Exchanges of Property takes on capital gains, basis and installment sales. If you want a specialty, the list also includes Income Taxation of Estates and Trusts, Corporate Reorganizations, Wealth Planning, and Corporations and Shareholders. Tax Analytics and Machine Learning covers data visualization and the analytics software the profession increasingly relies on.

Before the first course you'll take a one-credit orientation, Online Strategies for Success, where you meet your support team and practice the tools.

Courses the School Names

• Individual Income Taxation
• Tax Practice and Procedure
• Pass-Through Entities
• State and Local Tax Practice
• International Tax Practice
• Sales and Exchanges of Property

Standout Features

• Can be completed within one year by taking two courses per term
• Five start terms a year: January, March, May, August and October
• No GMAT or GRE required
• Ranked No. 1 for Student Excellence by U.S. News & World Report 2026

The program is 30 credits, which is ten 3-credit courses, plus the one-credit orientation. The school says it's meant to be completed in 12 to 24 months, and you have up to four years to finish. Each course lasts 10 weeks.

If you take two courses per term, and one during tax season, you can finish within one year. You can also enroll in one or two classes at a time and take a break between sessions. Bryant offers five start terms a year, in January, March, May, August and October, so there's rarely a long wait to begin.

Tuition is $2,379 per 3-credit course, which comes to $23,790 for the ten courses. The Online Programs Orientation Course adds $495 and the application fee is $80, for a total cost of $24,365. The school waives the application fee for Bryant alumni, current Bryant students, active duty military and military veterans. If your employer offers tuition assistance, Bryant accepts those payments directly.

You study fully online. Courses are asynchronous, so you read, watch and submit work on your own schedule within each 10-week window, with occasional Zoom classes that keep you connected to your instructor and classmates.

Many assignments use VoiceThread, a video-based discussion system, and Zoom is used for sessions that need real-time video. The orientation course is where you learn the technology and set up a success plan, and faculty members are available to answer questions.

You don't have to relocate to Rhode Island.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Bryant draws friendly comments from outside the school. A prospective student posting on Reddit in 2024, looking at Bryant's online Master of Business Administration (MBA), called it a solid program with a nice reputation at a pretty decent price for a private school.

Bryant also reports that U.S. News & World Report's 2026 online rankings placed its online graduate business offerings first for Student Excellence, third for Student Services & Technology, and in the top 25% of Best Online Master's in Business Programs (Non-MBA).

• Which of the electives, such as Wealth Planning or Corporate Reorganizations, run most often, so I can plan the ten courses I want?
• How do the occasional Zoom classes get scheduled, and can I attend them from a different time zone?
• Can I take one course during tax season and two in other terms, and how does that change my finish date?
• How does my state board count the degree toward the 150 credit hours I need for CPA licensure?
• Does my employer's tuition assistance get billed directly, and when is payment due for each 10-week term?

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 53 of 78, master's
• Online Master's in Taxation Rank 28 of 41, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 27 of 40, master's
• Accelerated Programs Rank 22 of 33, master's
• Private University Programs Rank 29 of 43, master's
• Master of Science in Taxation Rank 14 of 21, master's

• Florida Gulf Coast University

  Master of Science in Accounting and Taxation

  Florida $1,439.75 per credit Score 47.7

• University of San Francisco

  LLM in Taxation

  California $2,365 per credit Score 47.7

• Mississippi State University

  Master of Taxation

  Mississippi $602.50 per credit Score 47.6

• SUNY Old Westbury

  Taxation, M.S.

  New York $991 per credit Score 47.5