University of Baltimore Master of Science in Accounting and Business Advisory Services, Taxation Specialization (Online) in 2027

You earn the University of Baltimore Master of Science in Accounting and Business Advisory Services with a Taxation specialization entirely online, in asynchronous classes, in as few as 18 months. Tax courses draw faculty from both the business school and the law school.

This is an accounting master's degree with a tax track built into it, so you graduate with broad accounting skills and a focused tax foundation. You complete a core of accounting analytics, taxation of entities and assurance courses, then add a three-course Taxation specialization covering income tax, tax research and tax practice.

Classes are fully online and available asynchronously, you pick a part-time or full-time load, and you can change that choice every semester. The program is open to you whether or not you have an accounting undergraduate degree, and it doesn't have test requirements for admission.

Whether you sit for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam or pursue other professional certifications, the school says you leave with technical skills for business consulting. The online degree's tax courses are taught with faculty from the Merrick School of Business and the School of Law, alongside business and law students, and the School of Law has run its Graduate Tax Program since 1987.

The degree covers accounting analytics, assurance and information systems alongside tax, and the specialization builds skills in tax compliance, planning and research. To apply, you need a bachelor's degree in any field. Undergraduate grade point averages of admitted students typically run from 2.9 to 4.0.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Career changers with a bachelor's degree in any field: the program is open to you without an accounting undergraduate degree, and up to 9 credits of foundation coursework can be waived based on what you've already studied.
• Working professionals who need to study around a job: every online class is available asynchronously, and you can move between part-time and full-time from one semester to the next.
• Students who live outside Maryland: fully online students outside the state can receive in-state tuition for this program, which is $911 per credit.
• Accounting graduates preparing for the CPA exam: the school says that whether you sit for the CPA exam or pursue other professional certifications, you leave with technical skills for business consulting.
• Students who want tax taught by both a business school and a law school: the Taxation specialization draws on faculty from the Merrick School of Business and the University of Baltimore School of Law.

The degree has four layers. The first is optional foundation coursework in Intermediate Accounting I, Intermediate Accounting II and Auditing, and up to 9 credits of it can be waived based on your prior coursework.

The second is a 15-credit core made up of Accounting Analytics, Taxation of Entities, Advanced Topics in Assurance Services, and a choice between Advanced Topics in Accounting Information Systems and Information Technology (IT) for Business Transformation. The third is the Taxation specialization, a 9-credit grouping of Fundamentals of Income Taxation, Tax Research and Writing, and Tax Practice and Procedure.

The fourth is 6 elective credits chosen from a list that includes Tax Policy, Accounting Ethics, Financial Statement Analysis and a graduate internship. The school describes what the specialization builds in five parts. You go deeper into federal, state and local tax laws, regulations and procedures. You develop tax planning strategies for individual taxpayers, businesses and organizations. You become adept at preparing and filing accurate returns.

You conduct research on complex tax issues and interpret tax codes and regulations. You also align with ethical and professional standards in tax practice. Because the tax courses are shared with the law school, you also learn alongside business and law students.

Standout Features

• Out-of-state online students can receive in-state tuition
• Taxation courses taught with faculty from the Merrick School of Business and the UBalt School of Law, alongside business and law students

The degree is 30 to 39 credit hours, depending on how much of the foundation coursework you waive. The school says you can earn the master's entirely online in as few as 18 months, or you can work at your own pace.

You choose a part-time or full-time load and can change your mind every semester. You can start in three terms a year. Fully online students also get earlier course registration, which helps when you're fitting classes around work.

Graduate Business tuition for students outside the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is $911 per credit hour at the Maryland rate and $1,258 out of state. The school says that if you live outside Maryland, you can receive in-state tuition for this fully online program, so out-of-state online students may pay the $911 rate. Fees are charged per credit up to 11 credits.

That's $28 for auxiliary operations and $25 for student services. It's $36 for the student center and $13 for technology. There's also a flat $35 student organization fee. The school's own table shows how that adds up. A 6-credit semester at the in-state rate comes to $5,466 in tuition and $647 in fees. That's $6,113 in all.

Because tuition is charged per credit, every foundation course you waive comes off your bill.

The program is fully online, and every online class is available asynchronously, so you decide when you watch lectures and do coursework. The tax courses themselves are offered in person, online synchronous and as online recordings, which gives you several ways to take the same class.

The school describes many of the tax classes as having a flexible classroom format. Because the school treats working professionals as the core audience, you can speed up to finish in as few as 18 months or slow down when work gets busy.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

The tax courses you'd take in this specialization come from the School of Law's graduate tax program, which the business school calls well established and well respected.

Graduates of that law school program, quoted by the university, describe its content as rich, high level and practical on both tax theory and compliance, and one says the coursework gave them the skills to research the options and counsel clients on most tax matters.

A May 2026 episode of the Cited Authorities podcast noted that the program pairs full-time faculty with Tax Court judges, attorneys from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Office of Chief Counsel and former leaders of the Department of Justice Tax Division, who teach as adjuncts.

• Which foundation courses can I waive based on my transcript, and how many credits will my degree total after the waiver?
• How do the tax courses run in a given semester, and can I choose between in-person, online synchronous and recorded sections?
• Which Merrick School of Business scholarships can an online accounting student apply for, and when are they awarded?
• Does the curriculum meet the education requirements for CPA licensure in my state, and what extra courses would I need?
• Which electives are offered in the terms I plan to enroll?

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• Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation

  LL.M., Master's

  Hybrid $1,125 per credit Score 64.1

• Master of Science in Taxation

  M.S., Master's

  Hybrid $1,125 per credit Score 56.3

• University of Mississippi

  Master of Taxation

  Mississippi Score 24.5

• Northeastern University

  Master of Science in Accounting (Tax track)

  Massachusetts Score 32.2

• University of San Diego

  Master of Science in Taxation

  California $1,790 per credit Score 36.0

• Widener University

  Taxation & Financial Planning, MS

  Pennsylvania $1,240 per credit Score 36.3