University of San Francisco LLM in Taxation in 2027

The University of San Francisco's online Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation runs 24 units in seven-week asynchronous semesters timed around tax season, and you can start in spring, summer or fall.

Tax lawyers are busiest in the spring and again each fall, and this program is built around that. The School of Law in San Francisco runs the Graduate Tax Program, and it says it offers the only LL.M. in Taxation in the country scheduled around the tax busy season. You study online and asynchronously, with optional weekly meetings with your professors and classmates.

The curriculum was developed in collaboration with Andersen Global and with the working professional in mind. You take as many or as few classes as you wish each semester, so the pace is yours to set. You'll need a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from an American Bar Association (ABA) accredited law school, or a law degree from another country that the school treats as equivalent.

The school says graduates are prepared for roles in private practice, in-house, government agencies and the tax departments of businesses across industries. It reports that more than 90 percent of LL.M. graduates have jobs secured by the time they complete the degree. Your professors include practitioners from the IRS, international law firms and notable accounting firms.

Examples the school names are an Andersen Tax state and local tax practice leader, a federal administrative law judge, and an acting IRS division director. Professor Daniel Lathrope is the co-author of casebooks on individual, corporate and partnership taxation, and Professor Joshua Rosenberg co-authored leading treatises in federal income tax and corporate tax.

On the federal side of the practicum, you help clients with income and payroll tax controversies before the IRS and assist in litigation when a case doesn't settle, including in U.S. Tax Court. Its advanced topics run from Tax Court pleadings and trial preparation to IRS levies, liens and offers in compromise, penalty abatement and innocent spouse relief.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Tax lawyers in busy season: fall classes begin after the October 15 filing deadline, and spring classes end the first week in March.
• Andersen employees: the firm's staff may enroll at the firm's expense, and Andersen managers and associates are among your classmates.
• Lawyers who want to set their own pace: you choose how many courses to take in each semester, though most people take two.
• Attorneys with tax coursework already behind them: you can transfer up to 12 credits from tax law courses.
• Practitioners who like a state or federal controversy angle: the tax practicum puts you on live disputes with California's Franchise Tax Board or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Courses are short and focused, usually two or three units each. Federal Taxation of Property Dispositions examines amount realized, basis, liabilities, loss limits and nonrecognition transactions with close attention to the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations. Federal Tax Procedure and Professional Responsibility combines administrative procedure before the IRS with litigation in the Tax Court, the district courts and the Claims Court, plus the ethics of tax practice.

Foreign Taxation I covers sourcing rules, nonresident aliens and foreign corporations, and the foreign tax credit. Estate and Gift Taxation turns to the marital deduction, lifetime gifts, trusts and charitable planning. Tax Research and Applied AI teaches you to work through statutes, regulations, administrative guidance and case law with a structured process, and a stand-alone certificate in tax writing and research uses the same material.

There's a wider course list that also names Corporate Taxation, Partnership Tax, Graduate Estate Planning, Federal Tax Crimes and Penalties, Transfer Pricing, Bankruptcy Taxation, and State and Local Taxation. If you haven't taken Federal Income Taxation, an online course on its legal principles is available to you.

Courses the School Names

• Tax Research & Applied AI
• Federal Taxation of Property Dispositions
• Federal Tax Procedure/Professional Responsibility
• Corporate Taxation
• Partnership Tax
• Foreign Taxation
• Graduate Estate Planning
• Federal Tax Crimes & Penalties
• Transfer Pricing
• Bankruptcy Taxation
• State and Local Taxation

Standout Features

• Andersen employees may enroll at the firm's expense through a long-standing partnership
• Automatic consideration for merit scholarships
• Begin in spring, summer or fall and take as many or as few classes as you wish each semester
• Curriculum developed in collaboration with Andersen Global
• Faculty include Professor Daniel Lathrope, author of several books on federal income, corporate and partnership taxation
• More than 90 percent of LLM graduates have jobs secured by the time they complete their degree
• Seven-week semesters avoid the U.S. tax busy season
• Tax Law Practicum with state (Tax Appeals Assistance Program) and federal tax controversy work including U.S. Tax Court

The degree is 24 units, and the school says most students take two courses per semester and finish in two years. Semesters are seven weeks long, which keeps each term compact. You may begin in the spring, summer or fall. The calendar's tied to tax season: fall courses start after October 15, spring courses wrap up in the first week of March, and summer courses run in June and July.

The priority deadline for fall is June 1, and the school accepts applications after that date on a rolling basis. Full-time and part-time options exist. Because you pick your own course load each semester, the finish date moves with you, and transferring up to 12 credits from tax law courses can shorten the road.

The school lists tuition for the 2026-27 year at $2,365 per unit, billed as you go with no minimum yearly or semester commitment. The school also says LL.M. in Taxation students don't pay extra fees.

Merit scholarships come automatically, so you don't need to send additional documentation, and your application doubles as a scholarship application. Andersen employees may attend at the firm's expense. If you have tax law credits from earlier study, the transfer allowance lowers the number of units you need to buy.

24 credits at $2,365 a credit comes to $56,760 in tuition, before fees.

Everything is online and asynchronous, which means you watch and complete coursework on your own schedule inside each seven-week term. Optional weekly meetings give you a live way to talk with professors and classmates. A dedicated academic advisor guides your course selection and professional development.

If you want hands-on experience, there's the Tax Law Practicum, offered through the Tax Appeals Assistance Program, where you represent clients in California income tax disputes before the Office of Tax Appeals, drafting briefs, interviewing clients and negotiating with the Franchise Tax Board.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

An LL.M. alumna quoted by the school says the program deepened her command of the Internal Revenue Code and improved how she serves clients. An alumnus who runs a law firm says the connections he made helped him grow his business network and sign new clients.

The global chairman and chief executive of Andersen, which sends employees to the program, calls it a vital part of developing its people under esteemed faculty. U.S. News ranked the law school 23rd among law schools with graduate tax programs in 2026-27, per a TaxProf Blog table.

In October 2025, Andersen and the law school also announced a generative AI tax research training program that pairs the school's AI curriculum with specialized tax research training.

• Which seven-week terms offer the courses I want, and how do I plan two courses per semester around my own busy season?
• How many of my existing tax law credits would transfer toward the 12-credit allowance?
• What merit scholarship amounts have recent admitted students received?
• How do the optional weekly meetings run, and which professors lead them?
• How does the Tax Law Practicum fit into a seven-week term, and how many units does it carry?

A private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. Its School of Law runs the Graduate Tax Program, scheduled around the U.S. tax busy season.

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 55 of 78, master's
• Online Master's in Taxation Rank 30 of 41, master's
• Best 100% Online Programs Rank 29 of 40, master's
• Accelerated Programs Rank 28 of 33, master's
• Part-Time Programs Rank 30 of 39, master's
• Best for Working Professionals Rank 35 of 46, master's
• Best for Parents Rank 35 of 46, master's
• Private University Programs Rank 30 of 43, master's
• Internship or Practicum Rank 20 of 24, master's
• LLM in Taxation Rank 22 of 22, master's
• Best Programs in California Rank 10 of 12, master's

• Master of Legal Studies in Taxation (MLST)

  M.L.S., Master's

  Fully Online $1,905 per credit Score 50.5

• Florida Gulf Coast University

  Master of Science in Accounting and Taxation

  Florida $1,439.75 per credit Score 47.7

• Bryant University

  Master of Science in Taxation

  Rhode Island Score 47.8

• Mississippi State University

  Master of Taxation

  Mississippi $602.50 per credit Score 47.6

• SUNY Old Westbury

  Taxation, M.S.

  New York $991 per credit Score 47.5