Washington University in St Louis LL.M. in Taxation (In Person) in 2027

The in-person Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation at Washington University in St. Louis Law is 24 credits of tax coursework in classes that usually hold fewer than ten students, and you can finish it in one year.

WashU Law's LL.M. in Taxation is built for lawyers and law school graduates who plan to practice tax law. You study on the St. Louis campus with full-time faculty and leading practitioners, and the school says that small class size is how you get individualized attention.

Candidates have graduated from an accredited U.S. law school. If you're a current or prospective WashU Law Juris Doctor (J.D.), you can earn a joint J.D./Tax LL.M. in six semesters. The school may also consider a foreign undergraduate law degree or its equivalent, judging it on your law school record and any tax coursework.

If you're a lawyer in practice, it also looks at your work experience. The city adds to the program. St. Louis has an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) District Office, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

This degree builds on a law degree, so it deepens the work of lawyers who already hold one. The school points to a market where area law firms of all sizes practice every field of tax law and where an IRS District Office sits in the same city.

The professor who directs the Tax LL.M. is also the law school's Associate Dean for Clinical Education and directs its Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, so the program is led by someone who runs the school's tax clinic work. For lawyers who want a credential beyond the LL.M., the certificates add a specialty in international law, business and corporate law, intellectual property and technology law, or negotiation and dispute resolution.

Where this degree can lead: Masters in Taxation Jobs.

Who It Fits

• Practicing lawyers who want to move into tax: you can study part time for up to four years, and the school considers relevant work experience in your application.
• WashU Law J.D. students: you're eligible for a joint J.D./Tax LL.M. that takes six semesters.
• Lawyers who want a second specialty: one optional 9-credit certificate fits inside the 24 credits, in negotiation and dispute resolution, business and corporate law, international law, or intellectual property and technology law.
• Lawyers trained abroad: the school can consider a foreign undergraduate law degree, and holders of a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from outside the United States take a two-semester course, Introduction to US Law and Legal Methods.
• Applicants deciding late: the school admits students on a space basis until the first week of classes each semester.

The tax curriculum has a short required list and a wide set of electives. You'll complete Federal Income Taxation, Corporate Taxation, and Partnership Taxation or Pass-Through Business Taxation. If you already took those subjects, you can apply to waive them and substitute another approved tax course, so if you've got a strong tax background, you still build a full schedule.

The school calls its offering a wide-ranging selection of tax electives that make up its own tax curriculum. You'll need a grade of 3.00 (B-) or better to receive credit in any course. The certificates give the degree a second direction. The Negotiation and Dispute Resolution certificate builds a foundation in conflict theory with hands-on practice in business negotiation, mediation and arbitration.

Business and Corporate Law covers corporate finance, law and economics, publicly traded corporations, and taxation. International Law adds international human rights, international intellectual property and international commercial arbitration. Intellectual Property and Technology Law takes you through patent, trademark and copyright issues and emerging technologies, with leading scholars teaching.

Standout Features

• Joint J.D./Tax LL.M. in 6 semesters for WashU Law J.D. students
• Optional 9-credit specialty certificate earned inside the 24-credit degree
• Small classes, typically fewer than ten students
• Taught by full-time faculty and leading tax practitioners

The degree requires 24 credit hours of tax curriculum. You can complete it full time in one year, or part time over up to four years, and if you want to stretch coursework beyond four years, you'll need the director's approval. A certificate is optional and counts 9 credit hours of the 24, and the school says you may earn the LL.M. and one certificate in a single academic year.

WashU Law J.D. students on the joint path finish both degrees in six semesters. The application stays open late. The school continues to accept applications and admit students up until the first week of classes each semester, depending on space. A file has to be complete before anyone reviews it, and it includes an application and official transcripts in English from every school you attended, with class rank.

Need-based and credit-based loans are available to full-time students who meet federal requirements, and the school offers a limited number of merit-based scholarships. If you hold a WashU Law J.D., the joint J.D./Tax LL.M. lets you earn both degrees in six semesters.

You attend classes in person at WashU Law in St. Louis, full time over one year or part time over as many as four. Because classes are small, you'll work through the material directly with full-time faculty and practitioners.

St. Louis also supplies a working context beyond the classroom: the metropolitan area includes an IRS District Office, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals and two federal district courts, one of them just across the river in Illinois.

The school lists Fortune 500 companies in the area, including Emerson Electric, Express Scripts, Monsanto and Nestle Purina, and says that area law firms come in all sizes and specialize in all fields of tax law.

The full rubric is on the methodology page.

Outside rankers have noticed the program. In the 2026-27 U.S. News tax rankings, as reported by TaxProf Blog in April 2026, Washington University is tied for ninth among law schools with graduate tax programs. The law school itself says it regularly earns top-50 and top-20 rankings, along with specialized rankings in international law and tax law and in its ability to provide a best-value education.

In the full U.S. News tax list, which covers the tax programs at 194 law schools, WashU Law is tied for 27th.

• Which of Federal Income Taxation, Corporate Taxation and Partnership Taxation can I waive, and which approved tax course would I take in its place?
• How do the 9 certificate credits fit into the 24 credits if I want to finish in one year?
• If I study part time, how many credits per semester keep me inside the four-year limit?
• What does the joint J.D./Tax LL.M. schedule look like across six semesters?
• Which area law firms and employers do current LL.M. students work with while they study?

• Best Master's in Taxation Rank 37 of 78, master's
• On-Campus Master's in Taxation Rank 20 of 37, master's
• Accelerated Programs Rank 14 of 33, master's
• Part-Time Programs Rank 21 of 39, master's
• Best for Working Professionals Rank 24 of 46, master's
• Best for Parents Rank 24 of 46, master's
• Private University Programs Rank 21 of 43, master's
• LLM in Taxation Rank 18 of 22, master's
• Taxation and Data Analytics Rank 2 of 8, master's
• International Taxation Rank 12 of 12, master's

• LL.M. in Taxation (Online)

  LL.M., Master's

  Fully Online $2,375 per credit Score 53.9

• Master of Legal Studies in Taxation (Online)

  M.L.S., Master's

  Fully Online $2,375 per credit Score 52.3

• University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

  Online Master of Business Taxation

  Minnesota $1,695 per credit Score 54.9

• LSU New Orleans

  Master of Science in Tax Accounting

  Louisiana Score 54.7

• University of North Texas

  Taxation and Data Analytics

  Texas Score 54.7

• New York Law School

  LL.M. in Taxation

  New York $2,451 per credit Score 55.7