Verdict
Our Verdict on the M.S.
Queens College gives you a 30-credit Master of Science in Taxation that's taught on campus in New York City, built around ten required courses, and flexible enough that you can switch between full-time and part-time as your job or life changes.
The Master of Science (M.S.) in Taxation sits in the School of Business at CUNY Queens College, a public college in Queens, part of the City University of New York (CUNY). You take ten core courses for 30 credits, and the list runs from business entities and estates to international rules and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) practice.
The school says classes stress current tax law and real-world problem solving, and that the faculty bring practical tax experience as well as academic credentials. You don't need an accounting or business degree to apply, though you do need the equivalent of six Queens College accounting courses.
Because the program is delivered on campus, you meet your instructors and classmates in person, and the school adds networking and guest-speaker events with working tax professionals.
Cost
Tuition and Fees
CUNY Queens College is a public school, and the graduate charge it reports to federal data works out to $855 per credit. Your own bill depends on your residency and the fees that apply, so check the current CUNY rate sheet when you apply.
If you come from Queens College as an undergraduate, the Accelerated Masters option lets you take up to four graduate courses at undergraduate tuition rates, which lowers what you pay for those courses. A one-year or 1.5-year full-time schedule keeps the number of semesters you pay for short, and part-time study lets you keep earning while you take classes.
- Credits Required
- 30 credits
Source: qc.cuny.edu (cost and aid), verified October 16, 2026
Fit
Who It Fits
Who It Fits
- Working professionals: the program's flexible scheduling lets you move between part-time and full-time course loads, and a Reddit commenter in 2026 called it excellent for people who hold a job.
- Queens College accounting majors: undergraduates with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 get a Fast Track invitation when they file for graduation and don't have to submit an application.
- Future licensed accountants in New York: the credit hours count toward New York State Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensure requirements, so the degree can do double duty.
- Career changers from finance, management or economics: the school describes the program as a fit for people with those undergraduate degrees, and a business background isn't required.
- Students who want one year of study: full-time students finish in 1 to 1.5 years, and the Accelerated Masters option lets qualified undergraduates finish in as little as one year.
Curriculum
Curriculum
All ten courses are required, and each is worth 3 credits. You start from the business side with Federal Taxation of Business Entities (ACCT 757), where you study sole proprietorships, corporations including S corporations, and partnerships including limited liability companies, with emphasis on tax planning, problem solving and research.
Taxation of Partnerships and S Corporations (ACCT 761) goes deeper into those two entity types. Other courses widen your range. They are State and Local Taxation and Tax-Exempt Entity (ACCT 758) and Estate, Gift & Trust Taxation (ACCT 759). Three more are Deferred Compensation and Employee Benefits (ACCT 762), International Taxation (ACCT 763), and Reorganizations, Liquidations and Consolidated Returns (ACCT 764).
Two courses focus on how you work as a professional. IRS Ethical Tax Practice, Procedures and Research Methods (ACCT 760) addresses ethics, procedures and research methods, and Tax and Accounting Communications (ACCT 747) builds your professional communication. You finish with Capstone (ACCT 765).
Standout Features
- Credit hours count toward New York State CPA licensure requirements
- Flexible scheduling allows switching between part-time and full-time course loads
- Capstone
- 765 - Capstone.
Source: qc.cuny.edu (curriculum and experience), verified October 16, 2026
Length
How Long It Takes
You need 30 credits, which is ten courses. The school says full-time students finish in 1 to 1.5 years, and part-time students finish in 2 years, with both timelines including summer courses. Because the scheduling is flexible, you can start part-time and move to full-time later, or the other way around. Undergraduates have a faster route.
The Accelerated Masters option lets qualified students begin graduate coursework while they finish their bachelor's, take up to four graduate courses at undergraduate tuition rates, and complete the master's in as little as one year afterward. Queens College students with an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher are accepted automatically, without a Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score, three reference letters or a personal essay.
That's what makes the path from a Queens College accounting degree to this master's short and simple.
Format
How Classes Are Held
This program runs on campus at Queens College in Queens, New York. You attend classes with your instructors and classmates in person, and the school says you'll interact with tax professionals in the classroom and at networking and guest-speaker events. Scheduling is flexible.
You can take a full-time or a part-time load, and you can switch between the two. The college's Center for Career Engagement and Internships supports business students, and the school says Queens College students have been placed at corporate, not-for-profit, research, small business and government organizations.
The program director also offers one-on-one meetings to people who are thinking about applying.
- Time to Finish
- 12 to 24 months
- Part-Time Option
- Yes
Source: qc.cuny.edu (format and schedule), verified October 16, 2026
Admissions
Admission Requirements
- Admission Requirements
- No accounting or business background required, but ACCT 101, 102, 201, 261, 305 and 367 equivalents are needed.
Source: qc.cuny.edu (admissions and transfer), verified October 16, 2026
Credentials
Accreditation and Where It Leads
The credit hours count toward New York State CPA licensure requirements, and the school notes that students with an undergraduate accounting degree are likely to meet New York's CPA requirements. For you, that means the master's can sit alongside your exam plans instead of competing with them.
The program says it serves professionals who work, or intend to work, in accounting and tax consulting firms, private industry, not-for-profit organizations, government, and other organizations where tax strategy can add value. The School of Business adds that its graduates have gone on to major financial institutions, industry, government, consulting, insurance, and audit and actuarial services.
The Accelerated Masters option and the Fast Track invitation also give Queens College undergraduates a defined route into the degree.
Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.
Score
Where It Loses Points
Each factor is scored 0 to 10 against other master's programs. The weights are the same for every program, and the overall score is out of 100.
Program Score 53.8 / 100
Darker bars mean stronger factor scores. Every bar also shows its number.
The full rubric is on the methodology page.
Voices
What Students and Graduates Say
Reddit commenters speak highly of Queens College. A commenter on Reddit in 2026 described the Queens College taxation master's as excellent for working professionals and called the program director fantastic. A separate Reddit commenter in 2022 called the college's accounting program great and said the professors are very solid.
Those comments line up with what the school itself stresses: flexible scheduling, faculty with practical tax experience, and a director who will meet one-on-one with applicants.
Before You Apply
Questions to Ask the School Before You Apply
- Which of the six required accounting courses do you still need, and how can you complete them before you start? They are ACCT 101, 102 and 201. The rest are ACCT 261, 305 and 367.
- What current per-credit rate and fees apply to you based on residency, and how do they compare with the $855 per credit reported to federal data?
- How would a switch from part-time to full-time work in practice, and how far ahead do you register for courses?
- How do the ten required courses line up with New York's CPA education rules for your situation?
- Which networking and guest-speaker events are coming up, and can you attend one before you apply?
School
About CUNY Queens College
- Degree
- M.S., Master's
- School
- CUNY Queens College, Queens, NY
- Institution Type
- Public
- Delivery
- On Campus
Source: qc.cuny.edu (program and school), verified October 16, 2026
- Total Enrollment
- 15,965
- Master's Completions a Year in This Field
- 9
- Campus Setting
- City
Source: nces.ed.gov (school data from ipeds), verified October 16, 2026
Rankings
Rankings This Program Appears In
Rank is the program's position among the programs on that list at its degree level.
- Best Master's in Taxation Rank 42 of 78, master's
- On-Campus Master's in Taxation Rank 22 of 37, master's
- Accelerated Programs Rank 17 of 33, master's
- Part-Time Programs Rank 23 of 39, master's
- Best for Working Professionals Rank 26 of 46, master's
- Best for Parents Rank 26 of 46, master's
- Public University Programs Rank 20 of 35, master's
- Best Programs in New York Rank 7 of 11, master's
Compare
Master's Programs With Similar Scores
Other master's programs with the closest scores.
-
Washington University in St Louis
LL.M. in Taxation (Online)
-
Master of Science in Tax Accounting
-
Taxation and Data Analytics
-
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Online Master of Business Taxation
Frequently Asked Questions About This Taxation Program
Is CUNY Queens College's Taxation a Good Program?
It ranks #42 of 78 master's programs in our 2027 rankings, because its tax courses span tax research and procedure, corporate tax, partnership and pass-through tax and 3 more subjects, but its school awards 9 master's degrees a year in this field, per federal data (fewer than 33 of 51 other master's programs we rank).
How Many Credits Is the Queens College Taxation Master's?
How Long Does the Queens College M.S. in Taxation Take?
Do You Need an Accounting Degree to Apply?
Does the Program Count Toward the New York CPA License?
Sources
- CUNY Queens College's Taxation page
- Delivery: On Campus; Duration: Full-time 1 to 1.5 years; part-time 2 years (includes summer courses)
- Duration: Full-time 1 to 1.5 years; part-time 2 years (includes summer courses)
- Credits: 30
- Capstone: 765 - Capstone; Capstone: 765, Capstone
- Standout feature: Credit hours count toward New York State CPA licensure requirements
- Standout feature: Flexible scheduling allows switching between part-time and full-time course...
- Admissions: No accounting or business background required, but ACCT 101, 102, 201, 261,...
- Full-time completion takes 1 to 1.5 years including summer courses
- Part-time completion takes 2 years including summer courses
- ACCT 757 covers the main business entity types
- ACCT 757 emphasizes planning, problem solving and research
- Ten core courses listed with titles, including ACCT 747 through ACCT 765
- Classes stress current tax law and real-world problem solving
- Faculty have tax practice experience and academic credentials
- Students switch between part-time and full-time loads
- Fast Track invitation for accounting majors with a 3.0 GPA
- Queens College students with a 3.0 are accepted automatically
- Accelerated Masters students can finish the master's in as little as one year
- Accelerated Masters students take up to four graduate courses at undergraduate tuition rates
- Director offers one-on-one meetings to interested students
- Networking and guest-speaker events with tax professionals
- Students placed at corporate, nonprofit, research, small business and government organizations
- Graduates have gone on to financial institutions, industry, government, consulting, insurance, audit and actuarial services
- Accounting undergraduates likely meet New York CPA requirements
- Careers the program serves
- Program suits students with accounting, finance, management or economics degrees
- Required accounting course equivalents
- A 2026 Reddit commenter praised the program for working professionals and its director
- A 2022 Reddit commenter praised the accounting program and its professors
- Automatic acceptance skips the GMAT, letters and essay
- IPEDS Data Center