Mississippi State University Master of Taxation in 2027

You get a 30-hour, fully online Master of Taxation from an accounting school with its own accreditation, one tuition rate for every student, an optional data analytics minor and a Becker Certified Public Accountant (CPA) review class built into graduate study.

Mississippi State University's Master of Taxation (MTX) is delivered entirely online, so you can take every course from anywhere in Mississippi or beyond. It's a non-thesis degree of 30 semester hours, offered through the Richard C. Adkerson School of Accountancy, which was named for a 1969 graduate who leads Freeport-McMoRan.

The school describes its faculty as engaged in scholarly research, the accounting profession and the academic preparation of students. The online programs began in 2021 with support from a gift from the Adkerson Foundation, and the school describes the Master of Taxation as a respected degree from a nationally recognized research institution and a leader in online education.

Tuition is $602.50 per credit hour, plus a $25.00 instructional support fee per credit hour, and additional fees may apply. Across 30 credit hours, your tuition comes to $18,075.

In-state and out-of-state students pay the same rate, which the school promotes as in-state tuition for all. Mississippi State also reports that it sends its graduate accounting students into the CPA exam with a Becker review class already included in graduate study.

30 credits at $602.50 a credit comes to $18,075 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Working accountants who need a flexible schedule: courses are delivered asynchronously to fit around work and life.
• Out-of-state students: in-state and out-of-state students pay the same per-credit rate, so where you live doesn't change the price.
• Students who plan to sit for the CPA exam: graduate study includes a Becker CPA Exam Review class, and the orientation introduces the exam and the sign-up process with the state board of accountancy.
• Analytics-curious tax students: an optional minor in Accounting Data Analytics adds courses such as Advanced Accounting Analytics.
• Applicants who don't want entrance exam hurdles: the program doesn't require the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), and admission looks at a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on all coursework or the last 60 hours.
• Returning students: one student quoted on the program page came back to Mississippi State after 32 years and said it's never too late to finish the degree you wanted.

Twelve hours of required courses anchor your degree. Research in Tax Practice and Procedures teaches the research side of the profession. Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders and Taxation of Partnerships, S Corporations, Trusts, and Estates cover the entity rules, and Tax Topics rounds out the core.

You then choose 15 hours from the accounting electives and 3 hours of business electives. At least 24 of your 30 hours need to be in graduate-level accounting. If you're tax-minded, electives include Advanced Individual Taxation and Wealth Management and Multijurisdictional Tax, which introduces the taxation of business entities and individual taxpayers earning income in more than one jurisdiction.

Data-oriented options include Advanced Accounting Analytics, Assurance and Audit Data Analysis, and IT Audit, Control, and Data Analysis, which covers processing integrity, availability, security, confidentiality and privacy. You'll also see Ethics in Accounting, International Accounting and Financial Accounting Policy on the list. The data analytics minor was designed by adding a required analytics graduate course to the program.

Courses the School Names

• Research in Tax Practice and Procedures
• Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders
• Taxation of Partnerships, S Corporations, Trusts, and Estates
• Tax Topics
• Multijurisdictional Tax
• Advanced Individual Taxation and Wealth Management
• Advanced Accounting Analytics

Standout Features

• Adkerson School of Accountancy is separately AACSB-accredited for its accounting programs
• Becker CPA Exam Review class is part of graduate study for MTX students
• Optional minor in Accounting Data Analytics
• Out-of-state students pay the in-state tuition rate

You need 30 semester hours, and there are three start points a year. The application deadlines are August 1 for fall, December 1 for spring and May 15 for summer.

To stay continuously enrolled, you take two of the three semester terms, and fall enrollment is required. Because courses are asynchronous, you decide when in the week to work through them, and a dedicated academic advisor guides you through the plan.

Every course is 100% online, and the school delivers them asynchronously so you can balance work and life. A dedicated academic advisor is there to guide you each step. The Adkerson School delivers its graduate programs both on campus and online. Your career support comes through the Adkerson School's network of alumni, firms and businesses, a career center, a stand-alone career fair, internships and professional organizations.

The Adkerson School of Accountancy is separately accredited for its undergraduate and graduate programs by AACSB International, and the school says that places it in the top three percent of accounting programs in the world. The Master of Taxation prepares you for roles in public, private and governmental accounting.

The school reports high placement rates with the big four, regional firms, government and industry.

On the CPA side, the school's newsletter says its 2024-25 graduate assistants each took all four parts of the exam with a combined success rate of nearly 100 percent, as six of the eight passed every part and the other two passed most sections, and the Mississippi Society of CPAs honored two Bulldog graduates for the highest scores in the state on the 2022 exam.

Graduate study also gives you the 150 credits needed to sit for the CPA exam.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

A commenter on a 2024 Mississippi State Reddit thread said the Master of Taxation and the Master of Professional Accountancy both get you to the 150 hours needed for the CPA, that neither pigeonholes you into tax or audit, and that you cannot go wrong with either degree.

Students quoted by the school say the resources are there to succeed on the CPA exam, that professors pushed them to understand concepts at a deeper level, and that professors were understanding while students sat for exam sections. A graduate called staying for the program one of the best decisions they made.

Outside reviewers have noticed too: OnlineMastersDegrees.org lists the online Master of Taxation among its best programs and highlights the specialized curriculum, and Business Degree Central placed Mississippi State at No. 2 on its 2023 Best Taxation Schools in Mississippi list.

• Which start term fits my situation, and how do I satisfy continuous enrollment with fall required?
• How does the Becker CPA Exam Review class fit into my course schedule, and when should I schedule exam sections?
• Which electives would complete the Accounting Data Analytics minor?
• Can my advisor map out a plan that reaches the at least 24 graduate accounting hours and the 3 hours of business electives?
• What do alumni of the online program say about moving into tax roles at regional firms?

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 56 of 78, master's
• Online Master's in Taxation Rank 31 of 41, master's
• Cheapest Programs Rank 5 of 15, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 30 of 40, master's
• No-GRE Programs Rank 9 of 17, master's
• Public University Programs Rank 26 of 35, master's
• AACSB Accredited Programs Rank 14 of 16, master's
• Master of Taxation Rank 5 of 8, master's
• Accounting and Taxation Rank 7 of 13, master's
• Taxation and Data Analytics Rank 7 of 8, master's

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