University of Akron Master of Taxation in 2027

The University of Akron has taught its Master of Taxation (MTax) since 1979, and you can finish the 30 credits fully online in live evening classes, with faculty who include practitioners from Big Four firms and the Internal Revenue Service. The tuition is $600 to $601 per credit hour.

You'll study tax law the way it gets used on the job, in a program that has run for more than four decades. Eight required courses cover research, corporate and partnership tax, tax accounting, state and local tax, international tax and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) procedure, and you choose two electives on top of those.

The classes meet live in the evening, so you don't have to give up your job while you earn the degree. You can take the whole program in person, online or as a mix of both. The program also hosts the annual National Tax Conference, and that's a regular link to the wider tax profession.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Graduate tuition and the Akron fee total $600 per credit hour for Ohio residents and $601 for everyone else, a $1 difference. Online courses add a $15 per credit hour fee.

At 30 credits, the tuition comes to $18,000 for Ohio residents and $18,030 for out-of-state students before fees. The school also lists several fellowships, scholarships and preferred employer programs that help with tuition, along with financial aid and employer tuition assistance.

30 credits at $601 a credit comes to $18,030 in tuition, before fees. At the in-state rate of $600, the same 30 credits come to $18,000.

Who It Fits

• Working Certified Public Accountants (CPAs): the admissions page names CPAs among the people the program is built for, and the evening live classes fit around a full-time job.
• Accounting and business graduates who want a tax specialty: the program accepts accounting and business degrees, and if you're studying full time, the eight required tax courses give you a full foundation in one year.
• Juris Doctor (JD) holders and law students: the school offers a joint JD/MTax degree, and law school courses appear on the approved elective list.
• International students on a student visa: the MTax is an approved federal Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) degree, which makes graduates eligible for a 24-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension.
• Undergraduates at Akron who want to move quickly: an accelerated Bachelor of Science (BS) and MTax path earns both degrees in five years.

The core is eight required three-credit courses. Tax Research and Business Analytics teaches you to find and apply the sources of federal income, estate and gift tax law, and you take it in the first semester it's offered. Corporate Taxation I covers the tax problems of corporations and their shareholders, including formation, distributions, redemptions and liquidations. Corporate Taxation II moves into reorganizations, split-offs and spin-offs.

Taxation of Partnerships goes through subchapters K and S of the Internal Revenue Code and how partnerships are used for tax planning.

Tax Accounting looks at the timing of income and expenses, Tax Analytics covers IRS administration and what a tax practitioner is responsible for, State & Local Taxation includes multistate businesses, and International Taxation covers how the United States taxes foreign income of domestic corporations and United States income of nonresident aliens and foreign corporations. You then choose six elective credits.

The list includes Tax Crimes and Forensics, Estate Planning, S Corp Taxation, Consolidated Tax Returns and Income Taxation of Decedents, Estates & Trusts. ACCT 575, Experiential Learning in Tax, is an approved elective where you apply tax law to specific transactions and prepare returns for low-income and nonresident alien clients.

Courses the School Names

• Tax Research and Business Analytics
• Corporate Taxation I
• Taxation of Partnerships
• State & Local Taxation
• International Taxation
• Tax Analytics

Standout Features

• Hosts the annual National Tax Conference as an outreach activity of the program
• Over 90% of MTax graduates are employed before graduating (school statement)
• Approved Federal STEM degree program; international students on visas are eligible for a 24-month OPT extension
• Electives include Tax Crimes and Forensics, Estate Planning and S Corp Taxation
• Joint JD/MTax degree available

The degree is 30 semester credits, which is ten courses. If you start in the fall and study full time, you normally finish all requirements in two semesters. If you start in the fall and study part time, you can finish within two years.

You can start in fall, spring or summer, and the application deadline for fall enrollment is August 1. If you're still an undergraduate at Akron, the accelerated BS and MTax path lets nine graduate credits taken in your senior year count toward both degrees and gets you both in five years.

The combined path totals 141 credits of graduate and undergraduate courses.

You can complete the MTax 100% online, 100% in person or in a combination of both, and courses rotate between in-person and online formats. The online option is synchronous. All classes meet live in the evening, which the school designs for working professionals.

Some courses meet live online, and the school builds those sessions around active participation and collaboration. Nothing on campus is required, though the in-person sections stay open to you if you're living near Akron.

The University of Akron College of Business has held Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation since 1966, and the school notes that only 1.15% of business schools worldwide hold dual AACSB accreditation in business and accounting. Over 90% of MTax graduates are employed before they graduate, according to the school.

Graduates go to Big Four and super regional accounting firms, law firms, corporations, investment advisory firms and government agencies. Common job titles include tax manager, tax consultant, tax advisor, international tax specialist, corporate tax analyst, state and local tax specialist and director of tax. The alumni network, built over 45 years, includes C-suite executives.

Faculty combine full-time scholars with practitioners from Big Four firms, national corporations, the IRS and law firms, and a Program Governance Board of tax profession leaders advises the program.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

Professors come up first when Akron graduates talk about the program. One alumnus says the tax professors are true experts who bring real-life experience into the classroom, and an online alumnus says they added interactive projects that made the classes collaborative.

Another alumnus says the program opened many doors, including an introduction to international tax. A practicing CPA taking a course says the tax research class left them researching tax issues with more confidence and efficiency. An online graduate points out that the format made it possible to work full time and earn the master's degree at the same time.

Outside the school, OnlineU's summary of student reviews says many reviewers find the professors personally invested in helping students succeed, its student ratings show 88% would recommend the program and 94% found it helpful for their career, and its affordability list places the program as the cheapest online taxation master's program.

• Which two electives will be offered in the semesters I plan to enroll, since electives depend on demand and faculty availability?
• Can I mix in-person and online sections from one semester to the next, and how are those sections scheduled?
• Which fellowships, scholarships or preferred employer programs apply to me, and what is the deadline for each?
• If I'm still an undergraduate, how do the nine shared graduate credits work in the accelerated BS and MTax path?
• What does ACCT 575, Experiential Learning in Tax, involve week to week, and when is it offered?

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 4 of 78, master's
• Online Master's in Taxation Rank 1 of 41, master's
• Cheapest Programs Rank 4 of 15, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 1 of 40, master's
• Part-Time Programs Rank 3 of 39, master's
• Best for Working Professionals Rank 3 of 46, master's
• Best for Parents Rank 3 of 46, master's
• Public University Programs Rank 4 of 35, master's
• Internship or Practicum Rank 1 of 24, master's
• Master of Taxation Rank 1 of 8, master's

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