Golden Gate University Master of Science in Taxation in 2027

Golden Gate University's Master of Science in Taxation is a 30-unit online degree you can start in any term, finish in 15 months, and flex with live video or asynchronous classes, at $1,250 per unit with no admissions test required.

Golden Gate University (GGU) is a private nonprofit in San Francisco, and its taxation master's is built around people who already work in tax and accounting. Classes are offered by web conference with live video interaction and as asynchronous online sessions, so you can pick the delivery that suits how you learn.

You can enroll in any term, which means you don't have to wait for a fall start. All of the taxation classes are taught by expert tax accountants and tax lawyers, and the school describes its faculty as scholar-practitioners. The program also reaches into technology, with elective choices in data analytics, automation and agentic artificial intelligence for tax and accounting.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

GGU's tuition for the Master of Science in Taxation is $1,250 per unit, so the 30 units come to $37,500. Federal data show the school's graduate charge at $1,090 per credit, and the program's own rate is the figure to plan around.

An internship that carries 3 or 6 units of elective credit lets you earn practice experience inside your 30 units. Path2CPA students can reach the 150-hour Certified Public Accountant (CPA) education requirement by pairing the master's with the school's accounting bachelor's degree.

30 credits at $1,250 a credit comes to $37,500 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Working professionals: you can enroll in any term and choose between live web-conference classes and asynchronous online ones.
• Applicants without a test score: the program states that a Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or GRE score isn't required.
• GGU accounting undergraduates aiming to become a CPA: the Path2CPA option lets you earn the master's in as little as one year after GGU's Bachelor of Science in Accounting, and it can satisfy the 150-hour education requirement for CPA licensure.
• Students who want tax and technology together: you can swap one elective for courses in data analytics, automation or agentic artificial intelligence.
• People who want real practice hours: eligible students can take a taxation internship for up to 6 units of credit.

The degree requires 30 units, made up of 21 units of core courses and 9 units of electives. The first course is Tax Research and Writing, a one-unit class that introduces legislative history, the Internal Revenue Code, Treasury interpretations and case law, because every later class works from primary authority.

Advanced Tax Research and Writing follows with practical research projects using electronic tools, and you'll learn to communicate results in formats the tax industry uses. The rest of the core covers Advanced Federal Income Taxation, Property Transactions, Tax Timing, Federal Income Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders I, Federal Income Taxation of Partners and Partnerships, and Federal Tax Procedure.

Federal Tax Procedure surveys dealings with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), from examinations and appeals to penalties and refund claims, and one learning outcome is being able to represent a client in a tax controversy.

For your nine elective units you can choose from Principles of International Taxation, Estate and Gift Taxation, Real Estate Taxation, Estate Planning, State Sales and Use Tax, Choice of Entity and Accounting for Income Taxes, among others. Technology options include Visualization of Accounting and Tax Data, Introduction to Data Analytics for Accountants, Advanced Automation with programs such as Alteryx, and Agentic AI in Tax, Audit and Accounting.

Courses the School Names

• TA 321 Principles of International Taxation
• TA 325 Estate and Gift Taxation
• TA 326 Real Estate Taxation
• TA 334 Estate Planning
• TA 347 State Sales & Use Tax
• TA 356 Choice of Entity
• TA 362 Accounting for Income Taxes
• ACCTG 343 Agentic AI in Tax, Audit & Accounting

Standout Features

• Elective options in data analytics, automation and agentic AI for tax and accounting
• Path2CPA lets students earn the MS in as little as one year after GGU's BS in Accounting and can satisfy the 150-hour CPA education requirement
• Students can enroll in any term

GGU lists the program length as 15 months. You may enroll in any term, so your clock starts when you're ready. Students transferring credit from accredited law schools, colleges and universities may be granted up to 6 units toward the degree for graduate tax courses they completed there.

If you studied accounting as an undergraduate at GGU, the Path2CPA route lets you earn the master's in as little as one year after finishing that bachelor's degree. An internship can also count toward your units. You work at least 240 hours for 3 units of elective credit.

For 6 units, it's 480 hours in the practice area named in your internship offer.

The program is fully online. GGU offers web-conference classes with live video interaction as well as asynchronous online classes, so you choose a delivery mode that suits your learning style. You can enroll in any term, which is useful when work or family schedules shift.

Tax practitioners and lawyers teach every class, and students receive career support: the annual Taxation and Accounting Career Fair is held each September. If you take an internship for credit, you must be in good academic standing with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0, and international students can arrange credit through Curricular Practical Training once their documents are reviewed.

The school says courses cover general and specialized tax subjects including estate and gift tax, partnerships, C corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs) and S corporations, California and multi-state tax, international tax, retirement plans and tax research.

Golden Gate states that many of the Big Four firms hire its graduates and send their own employees to GGU to update their tax education, and that graduates in the taxation field earn 23% more than the national median for the field, citing the Key Indicators Dashboard of the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).

The Path2CPA option can satisfy the 150-hour education requirement for CPA licensure.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

A master's student reviewing Golden Gate on Niche in 2024 wrote that the program lets students shape the degree to fit their lifestyle, and that the best part was the flexibility it gives non-traditional students. Outside data points the same way. College Factual calls Golden Gate the second most popular school in the country for taxation master's candidates and reports a median salary of $113,936 for its taxation master's graduates.

In April 2024, GGU also reported that Forbes Advisor included its taxation master's in a list of online master's in taxation programs, and that rating organizations credited its scholar-practitioner faculty and its alumni hired by Big Four firms.

• Which core courses are offered in live web-conference format and which are asynchronous?
• How does Path2CPA work for a student who did not earn a GGU bachelor's degree?
• How do I find an internship that qualifies for TA 398 credit, and what does the application look like?
• Which prerequisites apply to the elective courses I'm considering?
• Can my graduate tax credits from a law school transfer toward the 30 units?

A private nonprofit university in San Francisco, California, serving working adults. Its Bruce F. Braden School of Taxation offers the taxation degrees.

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 17 of 78, master's
• Online Master's in Taxation Rank 8 of 41, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 7 of 40, master's
• No-GRE Programs Rank 5 of 17, master's
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• Internship or Practicum Rank 7 of 24, master's
• Master of Science in Taxation Rank 6 of 21, master's
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• LLM in Taxation

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  Fully Online $1,860 per credit Score 62.1

• University of San Diego

  LL.M. in Taxation (Online)

  California $1,200 per credit Score 62.2

• University of San Diego

  LL.M. in Taxation

  California Score 62.0

• University of Cincinnati

  Master of Science in Taxation (Online)

  Ohio $1,260 per credit Score 61.7

• Taft University System

  Master of Science in Taxation (MST)

  Colorado $600 per credit Score 62.7