Loyola Marymount University Master of Science in Taxation in 2027

A 30-hour Master of Science in Taxation on the Los Angeles campus that can be finished in nine months, with a technology-minded tax core, a Certified Public Accountant exam elective and a full-tuition Deloitte scholarship in the mix.

At Loyola Marymount University (LMU), the Master of Science in Taxation (MST) is an in-person degree taught in Los Angeles, and the bulletin notes that all academic requirements are completed in residence. It requires a minimum of 30 semester hours and welcomes every undergraduate major, so you don't need an accounting degree to apply.

The college describes its faculty as distinguished tax practitioners and academics who are invested in your professional development, and it pairs small class sizes with networking opportunities. The program's stated outcomes include using the major technologies of the tax field and of the wider business world, which shows up directly in the course list.

The degree is taught in person on the Los Angeles campus, and the bulletin lists its modality as in-person. You join a student community: the LMU Accounting Society gives accounting and taxation students access to job opportunities and career services, and a Meet the Firms career fair runs each semester. The College of Business Administration also lets its students earn several complementary certificates at no additional cost.

Who It Fits

• Recent accounting graduates who want a fast route to 150 credit hours: the full-time path takes nine months, and the bulletin says the program meets the 150-hour California requirement for CPA licensure, with program prerequisites for qualifying majors.
• Graduates from other majors: an undergraduate degree in accounting isn't required, and you need a 3.0 or higher undergraduate grade point average (GPA) plus a college-level financial accounting course.
• Future practice owners: the college says an M.S. in Taxation is the easiest pathway if you want to own an accounting practice, and the curriculum also helps if you plan to join a financial planning firm.
• Scholarship seekers: every applicant who meets the final deadline is automatically considered for merit awards, and the Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program covers full tuition for selected students.
• Tax-technology minded students: you work with data cleaning, analysis and presentation tools in a required course built around the technology used in public accounting tax divisions.

Six required core courses, 18 semester hours in all, form the heart of the degree. Taxes Research and Strategy gives you a framework for how taxes shape business decisions, looking at contracting parties, federal taxes and relevant costs. Tax Technology and Transformation trains you in the analytics techniques used by tax divisions at public accounting firms, so you clean, analyze and present conclusions from both large and small datasets.

Income Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders covers formation, capital structure, dividends, redemptions, liquidations and reorganizations. Taxation of Individuals and Family Wealth examines compensation planning, stock options, investments, and planning for family wealth including charitable giving, trusts, estates and gifts. Taxation of Flow-Through Entities handles S corporations, limited liability partnerships and limited liability companies from formation through sale and liquidation.

Accounting Research and Communication adds the writing and oral skills for presenting a conclusion. The 12 semester hours of electives let you add State and Local Taxation, International Taxation, Accounting for Income Taxes, Real Estate Accounting and Taxation, or a three-unit internship, and with the academic director's approval you can draw up to 12 hours from business analytics courses.

Courses the School Names

• Taxes Research and Strategy
• Tax Technology and Transformation
• Income Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders
• Taxation of Individuals and Family Wealth
• Taxation of Flow-Through Entities

Standout Features

• Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program offers full-tuition scholarships toward the M.S. in Taxation
• Nine-month full-time option with fall and spring starts
• Subsidized Becker CPA Exam Prep access and a CPA-focused elective

Full-time students can finish in nine or twelve months depending on their electives; the nine-month version takes at least 15 semester hours in each of the fall and spring semesters. If you've finished the prerequisite coursework, the college says you can complete the 30 units part time in as few as two years, and part-time students must complete the degree within five years of first registering.

You can start in the fall or the spring, and applicants should expect an admission decision within one month of submitting a complete application.

A useful anchor for planning is the graduate charge of $1,632 per credit that the university reports to federal data. Scholarships can change that picture a great deal. The Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program pays 100% of tuition for selected students, not counting university fees, textbooks, parking, health insurance or living expenses. If you apply by the final deadline, you're also automatically considered for merit scholarships, with no separate application.

The degree's built around the CPA path. The bulletin says it meets the 150-hour California requirement for CPA licensure, students receive subsidized access to Becker CPA Exam Prep with practice questions, mock exams and video-based instruction, and a CPA-focused elective called Advanced Problem Solving and Analysis covers content other LMU classes don't.

On the career side, the college reports that the majority of top firms recruit LMU accounting students for full-time work, that most alumni choose accounting firms, and that others join corporations or small businesses. Its career services team offers advisement, employer relations, alumni networking, workshops and assessments.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

An alum quoted on the school's own page, who now works in audit, said many of the skills from the taxation degree carry over, that the extra tax knowledge was worth having for the CPA exam, and that the program mimics the rigor and unpredictability of a career in public accounting.

On a 2025 Reddit thread about LMU's accounting department, a student from the undergraduate side credited the Accounting Society with helping students network with firms, land internships and move into full-time jobs, and described professors who care about their students. Another commenter in the thread added that the department is good at providing scholarships backed by alumni support.

• Do I qualify for the Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program, and what's the timeline for being selected?
• Which electives would best fit a nine-month plan with 15 hours in each semester?
• How do my undergraduate courses map to the 150-hour California CPA requirement and the program prerequisites?
• How does the CPA-focused elective work alongside the Becker course, and when should I schedule exam sections?
• Which firms attend the Meet the Firms fair, and how early should I register for it?

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 67 of 78, master's
• On-Campus Master's in Taxation Rank 31 of 37, master's
• Accelerated Programs Rank 4 of 33, master's
• Part-Time Programs Rank 35 of 39, master's
• Best for Working Professionals Rank 40 of 46, master's
• Best for Parents Rank 40 of 46, master's
• Private University Programs Rank 36 of 43, master's
• Master of Science in Taxation Rank 17 of 21, master's
• Best Programs in California Rank 11 of 12, master's

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