CUNY Bernard M Baruch College Master of Science in Taxation in 2027

Baruch College's Master of Science in Taxation is a New York City program with in-state tuition of $470 per credit, entry in fall or spring, and a pace you can shift between full time and part time. It's open to people with no accounting background.

Baruch College's Zicklin School of Business runs this degree in New York City, and the school says it prepares you for tax positions at accounting firms, corporations, government entities or your own practice. The program teaches the foundations of corporate and federal tax policy, then lets you customize with more advanced courses.

It accepts students looking to enter taxation as well as experienced tax professionals who want to move into leadership. You don't need an accounting or business background to apply. Baruch is a public college, and it has been recognized as among the best value colleges in the U.S. For New York residents, tuition runs well below the non-resident rate, which matters when you're adding up a graduate degree.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Tuition is $470 per credit for New York residents and $855 per credit for non-residents. Over 31 credits, that's $14,570 in total tuition for residents. For non-residents it's $26,505. Baruch also gives an estimate for its Master of Science programs as a group. Those programs run 31.5 to 42 credits. They take 1.5 to 2 years.

The estimate puts total tuition and fees at $18,600 to $24,700 for New York residents. For non-residents it's $30,900 to $41,200. New York residents who take 12 or more credit hours in a fall or spring semester pay a discounted flat rate of $5,545 for that semester. On the payoff side, Baruch's taxation master's graduates have median earnings of $132,681 in College Scorecard figures.

31 credits at $855 a credit comes to $26,505 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $470, the same 31 credits come to $14,570.

Who It Fits

• Career changers: applicants are not required to have an accounting or business background, and a financial reporting course can be waived if you already earned a B- in one.
• New York State CPA candidates: the credits can count toward the 150 semester hours required for CPA licensure in New York State.
• Experienced tax professionals: the school welcomes people who want to advance their skills and move into leadership.
• Students whose schedule changes: flexible scheduling lets you switch between part-time and full-time course loads.
• New York residents watching cost: in-state tuition is $470 per credit, compared with $855 per credit for non-residents.

Required study is 16.5 credits. You take Business Communication I, Principles of Federal Income Taxation, Corporate Taxation I, Partnership Taxation, Estate, Trusts, and Planning, and Tax Procedures and Professional Responsibility in Tax Practice. Principles of Federal Income Taxation covers gross income, deductions, credits, gains and losses on property, nonrecognition transactions and tax accounting. Corporate Taxation I looks at distributions, dividends, redemptions, liquidations and incorporations.

Partnership Taxation covers how a partnership is classified and the problems created by contributions, distributions and the sale of interests. Estate, Trusts, and Planning teaches the federal estate and gift tax along with the income taxation of estates and trusts.

You then choose 15 credits from nine electives, including Corporate Taxation II, International Taxation, Deferred Compensation, State and Local Tax with emphasis on New York, Current Problems in Taxation, Financial Planning for Individuals, Special Topics in Taxation and Real Estate Taxation. If you want a concentration, the optional Financial Planning track pairs 9 elective credits with 6 credits of financial planning courses.

The catalog says students develop competence in more than one tax specialization and learn to locate valid tax information and evaluate it to solve a problem or make a planning decision.

Courses the School Names

• Corporate Taxation I and II, Partnership Taxation, Estate, Trusts, and Planning, International Taxation, State and Local Tax, Real Estate Taxation, Deferred Compensation

Standout Features

• Credits count toward New York State CPA licensure hours
• Flexible scheduling lets students switch between part-time and full-time course loads
• Open to career changers with no accounting or business background as well as experienced tax professionals

Full-time students finish in 1 to 1.5 years, and part-time students finish in 2 years, with both timelines including summer courses. The credit load runs from 31.5 credits, when no preliminary course is needed, up to 34.5 when all preliminary courses are required. Terms run in fall, spring and summer, and summer is a 10-week term from June to August.

Every student should expect to take at least one summer course. Each tax course is offered once a year, so you can map your sequence early. Students admitted in spring take Principles of Federal Income Taxation: Theory and Practice in place of the standard principles course. You can also switch between part time and full time as life changes.

This is a campus-based program in New York City, built around fall, spring and summer terms. Because each tax course is offered once a year, the Zicklin graduate advisement hub publishes term-by-term course recommendations so you can see which courses fit summer and which fit the regular semesters.

You can start in fall or spring, and you can adjust how many courses you carry from one term to the next. That flexibility means you can go lighter in a busy work stretch, or take a heavier load when you want to finish sooner.

The credits count toward the 150 semester hours required for CPA licensure in New York State. The school says students with an undergraduate degree in Accountancy are likely to meet New York State CPA requirements, and students with business degree backgrounds can meet them with a few additional accountancy courses.

Graduates become tax experts and can start their own tax preparation and tax planning businesses, and the catalog says the program aims at leadership in the marketplace. Baruch's graduate programs were also placed first in New York City in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools list, according to a post from the Zicklin School.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

A Baruch student replying in a Reddit thread asking whether Baruch is good said they love it and that finding your community really helps the experience. A commenter in the same thread called Baruch an excellent value for the price and said that all the accounting firms come to the school.

Another said that with the right grade point average you can land a Big Four offer. These comments speak to Baruch's business school generally, and accounting recruiting in particular, rather than to this master's alone.

• If I start in spring, which required courses should I take first, given that each tax course is offered once a year?
• Does my financial accounting course qualify for the preliminary course waiver with a B- or better?
• Which elective mix works best if I choose the Financial Planning concentration?
• How do I qualify as a New York State resident for the in-state rate of $470 per credit?
• How many additional accountancy courses would I need for New York State CPA requirements with a business degree?

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 10 of 78, master's
• On-Campus Master's in Taxation Rank 7 of 37, master's
• Cheapest Programs Rank 10 of 15, master's
• Accelerated Programs Rank 10 of 33, master's
• Part-Time Programs Rank 7 of 39, master's
• Best for Working Professionals Rank 7 of 46, master's
• Best for Parents Rank 7 of 46, master's
• Public University Programs Rank 8 of 35, master's
• Master of Science in Taxation Rank 4 of 21, master's
• Best Programs in New York Rank 1 of 11, master's

• University of Washington

  Tax Law LL.M.

  Washington Score 68.4

• Gonzaga University

  Master of Science in Taxation

  Washington Score 68.7

• California State University-Northridge

  Master of Science in Taxation

  California $895 per credit Score 68.8

• St. John's University-New York

  Taxation, Master of Science

  New York $1,280 per credit Score 66.5