LSU New Orleans Master of Science in Tax Accounting in 2027

At LSU New Orleans (the University of New Orleans until July 2026), the Master of Science in Tax Accounting gives you 30 credits of tax-heavy graduate work, available online, on a timeline you set: as fast as nine months or paced around your job. The school says no other Louisiana school offers this M.S. tax option.

This degree sits in the Department of Accounting, whose graduate programs carry separate accreditation from AACSB. The department says only 180 schools worldwide hold that separate accounting accreditation, and AACSB renewed the university's business and accounting accreditation in 2022.

You can pursue the degree full time or part time, and the school's own wording is to fast track it in 9 months or take your time in parallel with your job on your own timeline. Classes are small, so you'll get to know your professors and classmates.

The program is offered online, and online students are exempt from the non-resident fee.

The university reports a graduate charge of $592 per credit to federal data, which gives you a starting point for your budget across the 30 credits. Students in online programs are exempt from the non-resident fee, so you don't pay the out-of-state surcharge.

The Department of Accounting obtains over 80 scholarships and awards each year worth from $80,000 to $90,000, from endowed scholarships, accounting firms, corporations and individual donors. A limited number of research assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis to full-time graduate students.

Who It Fits

• Working accountants: the online format and the option to go part time let you study in parallel with your job.
• Students who want to finish fast: the school says you can fast track the degree in 9 months.
• People who want a Louisiana angle: the Estate and Gift Taxation course puts emphasis on Louisiana community property law, and the school says it is the only one in Louisiana with this M.S.
• Students who want firms to find them: the program page says you can take part in on-campus recruiting by regional and national accounting firms.
• Price-conscious students: the university reports a graduate charge of $592 per credit to federal data, and the department draws over 80 scholarships and awards each year.

The 30 credits break down into two required accounting courses, five required tax courses, one approved tax elective and six credits of approved accounting or business courses. On the accounting side you take Studies in Accounting Theory, a critical analysis of current pronouncements on accounting principles, and Studies in Managerial Accounting, which covers cost accumulation, control systems and decision systems. The tax courses carry the weight.

Federal Tax Practice, Procedure, and Report Writing introduces the organization of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), tax research techniques and ethical tax practice. Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders covers transfers to a corporation, capital structure, dividends and an introduction to corporate divisions and reorganizations.

Advanced Taxation of Partners and Partnerships and Professional Corporations looks at dissolution, sale of a partnership interest and retirement provisions, and compares the professional partnership with the professional corporation. Estate and Gift Taxation covers the federal estate and gift tax code, and Strategic Business Planning shows how taxes and accounting affect a corporation from formation to liquidation.

A stated learning outcome is that you can conduct tax research and write about it. If your bachelor's degree left gaps, foundation courses in accounting and business can be completed elsewhere with a grade of C or better.

Standout Features

• Separate AACSB accreditation for the graduate accounting programs
• The only school in Louisiana to offer an MS in Tax Accounting, per the school

The degree is 30 credits, and you can take it full time or part time. On the quick end, the school says you can fast track it in 9 months. If you'd rather keep working, you can take your time and move through the courses in parallel with your job.

The degree requirements sheet also says the program can be completed by attending evening classes. Foundation courses in accounting and business don't have to be completed at the university, so you can take them wherever it's convenient, as long as you earn a C or better in each.

The program page lists this degree as also available online, so you can complete it without moving to New Orleans, and online students skip the non-resident fee. If you're near campus, the requirements sheet notes the program can be completed through evening classes.

Either way, it's the small class size that the page says leads to individual relationships with professors and peers, and the department offers several tutoring options for accounting courses, including peer tutoring from the accounting honors society and a department graduate assistant.

The Beta Alpha Psi chapter hosts an annual Accounting Lecture Series and provides free tutoring, the student chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants holds monthly meetings with guest speakers, and the National Association of Black Accountants chapter runs a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance project in cooperation with the IRS.

The department says students trained there have consistently had pass rates at or above the national rate on professional exams, and its stated goal is to prepare you to meet the educational requirements for accounting certifications and to complete them successfully. Faculty include named professorships carrying the Ernst & Young, KPMG and Deloitte names, and several faculty members are Certified Public Accountants (CPAs).

An Accounting Advisory Council of 25 representatives from national, regional and local public accounting firms, industry and government advises the department, and its members include people from Deloitte Tax LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG. The school says you'll have the opportunity to join on-campus recruiting by regional and national accounting firms and be more likely to have a job by the time you graduate.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

A commenter on Reddit in 2026 said the program leads to job offers before graduation if you keep a decent grade point average, another recommended the university's master's program outright, and a third called the school's accounting reputation solid and the faculty approachable.

A CPA posting in the same thread said they had always heard good things, and a further commenter said the master's can help with public accounting jobs and give you extra time to study for the CPA exam. Students quoted by Princeton Review describe professors who can always be found during office hours and a part-time student who could apply what they'd learned to their job immediately.

Niche shows a rating of 4.33 out of 5 from 39 reviews of the university's graduate programs. In OnlineU reviews, 81% of students said the degree improved their career prospects, and 72% said they'd recommend the school.

• How many courses do I need to take each term to finish in 9 months, and when do the required tax courses run?
• Which foundation courses do I need before graduate credit, and can I take them at another school?
• Which approved tax elective and which accounting or business courses count toward my 30 credits?
• How do online students take part in on-campus recruiting by accounting firms?

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 39 of 78, master's
• Online Master's in Taxation Rank 19 of 41, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 18 of 40, master's
• Accelerated Programs Rank 3 of 33, master's
• Public University Programs Rank 18 of 35, master's
• AACSB Accredited Programs Rank 8 of 16, master's
• Master of Science in Taxation Rank 12 of 21, master's
• Accounting and Taxation Rank 2 of 13, master's

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