University of Colorado Boulder Master of Science in Taxation in 2027

It's a 16-month, in-person taxation master's on the Boulder campus that sends you to the University of Colorado Law School for three courses and leaves room in the schedule for a summer internship.

The Master of Science in Taxation at University of Colorado Boulder sits inside the Leeds School of Business and runs entirely in person. The school describes its curriculum as one that bridges business acumen and legal expertise, and the schedule backs that up: three of your courses are taught at the University of Colorado Law School, so you read tax law in the same classrooms where future lawyers do.

The degree takes 16 months, summer internship included, and you can begin in fall, spring or summer. Test scores are optional, which means you can apply without sitting the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). And if your plans shift once classes start, the school lets you move into its Master of Science in Accounting.

Leeds says the program's career placement rate was above 90% within three months of graduation in 2019. The career page points to tax jobs and internships with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), prominent accounting firms, nonprofits and private companies, and it lists job titles such as Federal Tax Associate and International Tax Associate.

Career support covers behavioral and case interview preparation, offer management and salary negotiation help, and development seminars with individual advising. On the exam side, the school reports that its accounting graduates placed 12th nationally on the 2024 Uniform Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam among programs with more than 60 candidates, and Advanced Business Law, a required course, covers business law topics the CPA exam tests.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Recent accounting graduates who want a firm job: Leeds says top accounting firms recruit its graduates, and employers named on the career page include Deloitte, Grant Thornton LLP, Moss Adams, CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) and Plante Moran.
• Future CPAs: Advanced Business Law covers the business law topics tested on the CPA exam, and the school reports strong CPA exam results for its accounting graduates.
• Students who want legal depth in tax: Income Taxation, Taxation of Partnerships and Taxation of Corporations are all taken at the Law School.
• Students who want work experience before graduating: there's space for a summer internship in the 16-month plan, and an Academic Internship in Accounting course lets you earn one to three credits for tax or accounting work.
• Applicants still weighing accounting against tax: the option to switch into the Master of Science in Accounting after coursework begins keeps both doors open.

You'll take nine required courses and one elective over three semesters, not counting summer coursework. The tax core starts with Income Taxation, a four-credit course on the fundamentals of the federal income tax system and its effect on individual taxpayers. Income Taxation of Business Entities then covers the tax consequences of forming and running regular corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies and S corporations.

Taxation of Partnerships looks at pass-through entities from creation through distributions, sale of interests and liquidation, while Taxation of Corporations follows the same arc for taxable corporations.

Research and Writing in Income Taxation teaches tax research methods, the sources of tax authority and the CREAC legal writing format (conclusion, rule, explanation, application, conclusion), which fits the program's promise that you'll learn to write succinct, powerful legal analysis and to interpret tax law cases. Advanced Business Law, Auditing and Assurance Services and Accounting Ethics round out the required list.

For your elective you can choose US International Taxation, Advanced Auditing, Financial Statement Analysis, Data Analytics for Accounting, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Reporting and Analysis or Oil and Gas Accounting, among others.

The people teaching include a teaching professor who earned both a Master of Science in Taxation and a Juris Doctor at Boulder, and a former Ernst & Young tax professional in Denver who is now a CPA and directs the school's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs.

Courses the School Names

• Taxation of Business Entities
• Research and Writing in Income Taxation
• Taxation of Partnerships (taken at the Law School)
• Income Taxation (taken at the Law School)
• Taxation of Corporations (taken at the Law School)
• US International Taxation (elective)
• Advanced Business Law
• Auditing and Assurance Services

Standout Features

• Option to switch into the MS Accounting program after coursework begins
• Three courses are taught at the University of Colorado Law School

The program finishes in 16 months, and that figure includes room for a summer internship. The plan of study runs three semesters of coursework, made up of nine required courses and one elective. Most courses carry three credits, and Income Taxation carries four. Three start dates a year (fall, spring and summer) mean you don't have to wait for one intake.

Before you begin, the admissions page asks for a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher and the equivalents of four undergraduate courses: Intermediate Accounting I and II, Cost Management/Accounting, and Income Taxation of Individuals. If you start and find you prefer accounting, you can switch into the Master of Science in Accounting after coursework begins.

Leeds undergraduates can also look at the school's Bachelor's Accelerated Master's (BAM) route, which the school points to for tuition savings.

In federal college data, the University of Colorado Boulder lists its graduate charge at $2,090 per credit hour, a sensible baseline for your budget. Leeds undergraduates should ask about the Bachelor's Accelerated Master's route, since the school says it can bring tuition savings.

The application fee is $70 for domestic and international applicants, and since GMAT scores are optional, you can skip the cost of a test unless your undergraduate GPA is below 3.0, which is when the school recommends submitting one.

Every class happens in person on the Boulder campus. You'll attend classes with your cohort in the business school and take the three tax law courses at the Law School. Outside class, Leeds hosts employer meet and greets every week, which means recruiters come to you instead of you chasing them by email. Beta Alpha Psi has an active chapter at Leeds for networking with firms.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

A 2023 graduate quoted on the program page says they chose the Leeds master's in taxation because it let them be confident in what they know. In a 2026 Niche poll of six Leeds graduate students, all six said professors are engaging and easy to understand, and five of six said professors care about their success and that the degree is worth the time and money.

A 2022 Niche reviewer praised the cohort model for letting students form study groups and keep them through the program. Outside the school, College Factual's 2026 taxation analysis put University of Colorado Boulder at the top of its list for a degree in taxation.

• What's the current tuition per credit hour for my residency, and does the Bachelor's Accelerated Master's route apply to me?
• Which elective do students most often pair with the three Law School courses?
• How many students in a recent class completed the summer internship, and which employers hosted them?
• If I start in spring or summer, how does the order of required courses change?
• What would switching into the Master of Science in Accounting involve, and when's the deadline?

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 72 of 78, master's
• On-Campus Master's in Taxation Rank 33 of 37, master's
• Public University Programs Rank 33 of 35, master's
• Internship or Practicum Rank 24 of 24, master's
• Master of Science in Taxation Rank 20 of 21, master's
• Best Programs in Colorado Rank 5 of 5, master's

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