Taft University System Master of Science in Taxation (MST) in 2027

Taft's Master of Science in Taxation (MST) is a 30-credit program delivered entirely online and built for working tax professionals. At $600 a credit and $18,000 in total tuition, it pairs a research-heavy core with fifteen credits of electives you choose yourself.

The Taft University System runs this degree from Denver, Colorado, as a fully online, independent study program, so you don't have classroom meetings to arrange your life around. The school describes it as designed for certified public accountants, enrolled agents and experienced tax professionals who want deeper command of tax law and strategy.

You'll begin with core courses on federal tax law, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) procedure and ethics, then spend the second half of the degree on electives. Course terms run eight weeks, and the finish line is a supervised research project that shows you can work through a tax problem from facts to written conclusion.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Tuition is $600 per credit, and Taft lists total program tuition at $18,000 for the full 30 credits. Beyond tuition, master's students pay a $95 technology and library fee each semester, and students who start after February 15, 2026 pay a $250 graduation check fee in place of a diploma fee.

To spread the cost, Taft offers interest-free payment plans: you can split tuition for each eight-week term into two automatic installments, the first due by the seventh day of class, and there's no interest and no added fees.

30 credits at $600 a credit comes to $18,000 in tuition, before fees.

Who It Fits

• Enrolled agents: the curriculum meets Treasury Department Circular 230 standards for Enrolled Agents, and the school reports your completed credit hours to the IRS.
• Practicing tax preparers and accountants with three years of experience: admission asks for a bachelor's degree plus three years of occupational experience in accounting or taxation, so your daily work becomes the starting point for the coursework.
• Professionals who want to specialize: electives reach estates and trusts, real estate, exempt organizations, executive compensation and international taxation, which lets you point the degree at the clients you already serve.
• Busy full-time workers: independent study with eight-week terms lets you move at a pace that fits your schedule, and exams can be taken by webcam.

Five required courses anchor the degree. Tax Research Techniques opens the program with a step-by-step method for gathering facts, asking the right questions, locating and assessing authority, and communicating tax-saving options to clients. Federal Income Tax Aspects of Organizing and Operating Corporations covers corporate formation under Section 351, capital structure, Subchapter S elections, dividends and non-liquidating distributions.

Taxation of Partnerships gives a complete study of Subchapter K, from defining a partner to distributive shares and terminations. IRS Practice and Procedure explains how the IRS operates and how to represent clients with specific IRS problems. The fifth, Directed Tax Research, is the capstone: a written project prepared under a faculty member's supervision.

The other fifteen credits are yours to choose. Options include Corporate Reorganizations, Income Taxation of Estates and Trusts, Federal Income Taxation of Individuals, Fundamentals of International Taxation, Tax Fraud and Evasion, Taxation of Exempt Organizations, Individual Retirement Plans and Distributions, Taxation of Executive Compensation, Tax Aspects of Charitable Giving, Estate Taxation and Planning, and Taxation of Real Estate.

The school says students work with many of the same professional reference materials used in leading tax practices, and its courses give practice writing letters and other correspondence that help clients.

Courses the School Names

• Tax Research Techniques
• IRS Practice & Procedure
• Taxation of Partnerships
• Directed Tax Research
• Taxation of Executive Compensation
• Taxation of Real Estate

Standout Features

• Curriculum aligns with Treasury Department Circular 230 standards for Enrolled Agents
• William Howard Taft University is an IRS-Approved Continuing Education Provider and reports completed hours to the IRS

The degree is 30 credits, and Taft publishes the program length as 1.54 calendar years. The school runs three semesters a year, which it counts as six terms, and each course-term lasts eight weeks. Taking one course per eight-week term, the 30 credits take roughly 80 weeks (10 terms).

The school's frequently asked questions page says students may finish in as few as nine months, depending on the credits they transfer in, and the independent study format lets you set a pace that fits your schedule. Examinations can be taken by webcam or at one of more than 250 approved testing sites, so you don't need to travel to complete the degree.

It's entirely online: Taft delivers this degree through an independent study format, without the need for classroom attendance. You aren't tied to set class times, which suits people who prepare returns, manage clients or work in corporate tax departments on unpredictable schedules.

Course terms run eight weeks, three semesters a year, and your pace can follow your workload. Professional reference materials of the kind used in leading tax practices support the coursework, and a volunteer alumni mentoring program connects experienced graduates with current students for guidance, industry insights and career support.

Taft is institutionally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which the U.S. Department of Education lists as a recognized accrediting agency, and the school is authorized by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and takes part in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).

It's an IRS-Approved Continuing Education Provider, so completed hours are reported to the IRS for you. The program targets careers in tax consulting, corporate finance departments and government tax agencies. The curriculum meets Circular 230 standards for Enrolled Agents, which is a good match if you hold or are working toward the Enrolled Agent credential.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

Feedback from graduates and students centers on faculty and coursework. An MST graduate quoted on the school's alumni page calls the coursework challenging and says it taught research and proper referencing, with thanks to a knowledgeable faculty. A student in Taft's public administration master's program, posting on a degree forum in 2025, called the experience positive, with competent professors and a responsive administration.

A tax worker shopping for programs on that forum in 2016 liked that the courses cover exactly the work they already did, plus areas they hadn't handled yet, such as trusts and retirement accounts. In a 2020 press release, the school says electives in real estate tax, estates and trusts and exempt organizations let you tailor the degree to your career goals.

• How many transfer credits will Taft accept from my earlier coursework, and how much sooner could that let me finish?
• Which electives fit the clients and work I handle now, and which would open new areas such as estates, trusts or retirement plans?
• How does the Directed Tax Research capstone work, and how are faculty members assigned to supervise it?
• Will the school report my credit hours to the IRS as I complete each course, and what do I need to do for my Enrolled Agent records?
• How do webcam exams work, and what equipment do I need before my first one?

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 15 of 78, master's
• Online Master's in Taxation Rank 6 of 41, master's
• Cheapest Programs Rank 2 of 15, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 5 of 40, master's
• Accelerated Programs Rank 32 of 33, master's
• Best for Working Professionals Rank 10 of 46, master's
• Best for Parents Rank 10 of 46, master's
• Private University Programs Rank 6 of 43, master's
• Master of Science in Taxation Rank 5 of 21, master's
• Best Programs in Colorado Rank 1 of 5, master's

• Master of Laws in Taxation (LLM)

  LL.M., Master's

  Fully Online $600 per credit Score 59.5

• University of San Diego

  LL.M. in Taxation (Online)

  California $1,200 per credit Score 62.2

• Golden Gate University

  LLM in Taxation

  California $1,860 per credit Score 62.1

• Golden Gate University

  Master of Science in Taxation

  California $1,250 per credit Score 62.1

• University of San Diego

  LL.M. in Taxation

  California Score 62.0