University of Denver Master of Taxation in 2027

Denver's Master of Taxation is an asynchronous online degree from one of the oldest tax programs in the country, and you can add a clinic that represents real taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service without leaving home.

The Master of Taxation at the University of Denver comes from the Graduate Tax Program at the Sturm College of Law, which has trained tax professionals since 1975. Every course is delivered online and asynchronously, so you watch lectures and submit work on your own schedule inside a learning platform that also lets you talk with professors and classmates.

You choose a 24-credit degree or a 30-credit extended track, and you study next to lawyers from the Master of Laws (LLM) in taxation program, so you hear how attorneys approach the same rules. The courses are taught from the Internal Revenue Code, treasury regulations and related material, and the school describes the curriculum as nothing but tax.

The program's faculty include professionals from top local and national firms and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The school points to nationwide job placement opportunities through job postings, on-campus recruiting programs, alumni connections and networking.

The clinic gives you hands-on credentials of its own: it represents over 250 clients each year, and in 2024 the clinic at the Sturm College of Law enrolled 32 students who represented 167 clients before the IRS and the Colorado Department of Revenue.

If you're heading toward the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license, the extended 30-credit track is the one the school recommends for meeting the credit requirements for CPA certification. The program also notes that one student recently received an academic scholarship from the Taxation Section of the Colorado Bar Association.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Working accountants: the school says most working professionals study part time, finishing in 18 to 24 months while they keep their jobs.
• Accountants heading toward the CPA license: the 30-credit extended track adds six elective hours for people who need extra credit for CPA certification.
• Future tax controversy specialists: the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic represents taxpayers in audits, appeals, collections and Tax Court litigation, and it runs fully remotely.
• Estate planners and corporate tax staff: the Corporate Path, Estate Planning Path and Tax Procedure Path give you a way to group your electives.
• Accountants who want to hear how lawyers think: you train side by side with attorneys from the LLM program, and a CPA graduate told the school those classmates' perspectives pushed her to think further.

The required core, worth 16 credits, includes Federal Income Taxation, Corporate Taxation, Partnership Taxation, Tax Procedure, Taxation Research and Writing, Taxation of Property Transactions and Tax Accounting. You'll fill out the rest of the degree with tax electives chosen with an advisor.

The catalog lists Estate and Gift Taxation, Estate Planning, Fiduciary Income Taxation, Advanced Tax Procedure, Taxation of Corporate Reorgs and Divisions, and Employment Tax, which looks at worker classification and how to avoid personal liability. The program page also mentions courses in international taxation, individual taxation, entity taxation and tax controversy. The electives belong to informal paths, so you can lean toward corporate work, estate planning or procedure.

If you want a smaller step first, the program offers four digital badges, in Corporate Taxation, Estate Planning, Pass-Through Entities and Tax Controversy, and the credits for one badge can count toward the full degree. You can also take an internship course or an independent study that ends in a written work of publishable quality.

The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic is one of the largest and longest-running tax clinics in the nation, and it's the preferred referral source for the U.S. Tax Court in Denver.

Courses the School Names

• Federal Income Taxation
• Taxation of Property Transactions
• Corporate Taxation
• Partnership Taxation
• Tax Accounting
• Taxation Research and Writing
• Tax Procedure
• Estate and Gift Taxation
• Estate Planning
• Fiduciary Income Taxation
• Advanced Tax Procedure
• Taxation of Corporate Reorgs and Divisions
• S Corps
• Employment Tax

Standout Features

• Low Income Taxpayer Clinic available fully remotely, representing over 250 clients each year
• Students train alongside law students in the LLM program

You can choose between 24 and 30 semester credits. Full-time students finish in one academic year across three terms, and part-time students generally take 18 to 24 months. The program sets a five-year limit from the time you matriculate, and you'll need a 2.7 grade point average to earn the degree.

The 30-credit extended track suits you if you want those additional six elective hours for CPA certification. Since classes are asynchronous, the pace is yours within each term, and most working professionals choose the part-time route to balance their other obligations.

Plan on $1,534 per credit hour, the graduate rate the University of Denver files in federal education data. At that rate, the 24-credit degree is a smaller bill than the 30-credit extended track, so the track you pick shapes your total. The program says generous scholarships are available, so ask about them when you apply.

Every Graduate Tax course is delivered in an asynchronous online format. You use an online platform to reach course media and materials, submit work and quizzes, and interact with professors and classmates. The program also hosts onsite and hybrid events, which are in-person gatherings of students, alumni and tax professionals, and you can join them when you're nearby.

The one place that asks for live attendance is the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic: it's available fully remotely, but synchronous participation is required for class times. The school says the environment is one of cooperation rather than competition, and that the teaching attitude is both helpful and challenging.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

A 2016 graduate who is a CPA told the school she enjoyed taking classes with attorneys and other experienced classmates because they added perspectives that pushed her to think further. A lawyer posting on Reddit in 2025 said they earned a tax LLM from the same Denver Graduate Tax Program while attending part time and running a solo practice, and that they are still solo and doing well.

The program itself says its students and graduates consistently describe themselves as the most prepared and knowledgeable of their colleagues. Denver Law describes the Graduate Tax Program as one of the oldest and largest programs of its kind in the nation.

• Which scholarships can I apply for, and how do I find out the amount when I'm admitted?
• If I choose the 24-credit degree and later want CPA credit hours, can I move to the 30-credit track?
• How many hours a week do part-time students usually spend on an asynchronous course?
• What are the class times for the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, and how many online students take part each year?
• How do the digital badges transfer into the full degree?

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 61 of 78, master's
• Online Master's in Taxation Rank 34 of 41, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 33 of 40, master's
• Part-Time Programs Rank 32 of 39, master's
• Best for Working Professionals Rank 37 of 46, master's
• Best for Parents Rank 37 of 46, master's
• Private University Programs Rank 32 of 43, master's
• Internship or Practicum Rank 21 of 24, master's
• Master of Taxation Rank 7 of 8, master's
• Best Programs in Colorado Rank 4 of 5, master's

• LLM in Taxation

  LL.M., Master's

  Fully Online Score 56.4

• The University of Alabama

  Master of Tax Accounting

  Alabama Score 44.8

• Hofstra University

  Taxation, MS

  New York Score 45.7

• Florida Atlantic University

  Executive Master of Taxation (EMTAX)

  Florida $900 per credit Score 46.2

• Boston University

  Master in the Study of Tax Law

  Massachusetts Score 43.5