Our Master of Taxation degree equips you with tax expertise that is impossible to automate.
Advanced tax expertise has almost universal value, and the demand is growing. The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) warns of a growing shortage of tax professionals who hold graduate degrees in taxation.
Portland State University’s Master of Taxation equips you to meet the needs of this growing field. Co-developed with the Pacific Northwest’s top public accountants and corporate tax specialists, our master’s degree offers specialized tax education that employers value highly.
Our hybrid format makes the Master of Taxation accessible to full- and part-time students, working tax practitioners, and other professionals with full-time jobs. You’ll build highly marketable tax expertise and develop the critical thinking skills that cannot be replaced by tax software or other technology. With our Master of Taxation degree, you’ll make immediate career progress and build a foundation for long-term success.
Time to completion - Full Time 12 Months; Part Time 18-24 Months. Students are required to attend an in-person residency at the beginning of each quarter.
Master of Taxation Scholarships | There are approximately 50 scholarships available to MT students
Use PSU Scholarship Universe to submit a scholarship application. Incoming and continuing PSU students are eligible to apply for scholarships through PSU's Scholarship Universe. Students must file an admissions application with the university. Within 48 hours after a student has submitted an application, they can access the Scholarship Universe platform.
Deadline for scholarship submission is May 1.
| General - The School of Business |
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| Michael R. Gaines Endowed -Undergraduate | Tax Executive Institute | John Andrew Funk Endowed | Aherne Family | COMP Endowed |
| Pathways to the Future - Fred Meyer Fund | The Gary and Carla Cumpston | Thrasher Family Scholarship | Boeing | Demorest Family |
| Greg and Terry Ness Graduate Fund | The Owens Family Endowed - Undergraduate | Verne and Marjorie Rupp Endowed | Braun Entrepreneurship | Demorest Family Full-Time Student |
| PSU Beta Alpha Psi Epsilon Alpha Leader's | Bartsch Family Scholarship - Undergraduate Junior or Senior | Viking Engineering and Construction - Junior or Senior Level Undergraduate | Carl Burgdorfer CFA Society of Portland - Senior Class Standing | Franklin Bauer Memorial - Undergraduate |
| Retail Controllers SB Endowed - Upper Division | Gary C. Homsley Endowed Accounting | W.D. Hershey Memorial Fund Endowed | NW Natural Sustainable Business Endowed | Gaye and James Richardson Endowed - Undergraduate |
| School of Business Daimler Truck | Columbia Sportswear Athletic & Outdoor - Undergraduate | Willamette Industries Endowed | Cascade Spirits Fund | Gerry and Marilyn Cameron Endowed Fund |
| School of Business Endowed Faculty | Out in Business | Zeliha Erdogan Scholarship in Business | Ike Nizam Foundation - Undergraduate | Gloria J. Tipton Endowed |
| US Bank - ATMOS Program | Schlesinger Family Foundation Endowed | A-Dec Endowed Business | Iverson Family Business - Undergraduate | Herbert Retzlaff Endowed - Undergraduate |
| Jackie Bell Endowed | | | | |
| Hardship Funds |
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| Boyle Fund for Pathway Student Assistance | Renaissance Foundation Pathways Student Assistance |
| SBA Need Based Fee Remission | The School of Business Fund |
- Career Readiness. Set yourself apart as a strong candidate with an outstanding writing portfolio that demonstrates a level of communication and critical thinking skills that recruiters notice. This is a rare and highly valuable advantage few programs offer. An application-focused capstone project will further enhance your resume and build your professional network.
- Professional orientation. The Master of Taxation serves a wide range of professional needs. It supports current tax practitioners and accountants who seek career growth, lawyers and business leaders who need tax knowledge to achieve their objectives, and undergraduate accounting majors who need a fifth year of education to meet CPA requirements.
- Convenient schedule. Our classes are synchronized with professional recruiting cycles. The program’s summer start for full-time and part-time students gets students ready for fall interview season; the fall start for part-time students provides an alternate starting term; the winter term is structured to accommodate full-time employment during tax season, and the spring term begins after April 15.
- Results-oriented curriculum. You’ll focus on relevant, high-impact subject matter in the Master of Taxation program. Course material applies directly to real-world tax practices, uses industry-standard technologies, and reflects the current state of tax law and the global economy. You’ll move far beyond annual tax returns and gain the ability to analyze tax issues at a strategic level.
- Expert faculty. Our Master’s courses are taught by seasoned tax professionals who have years of experience. Our faculty come from Big 4 accounting firms, regional firms, global corporations, law firms, and the government. All are experts in their fields.
- Rigorous academics. Portland State holds elite dual accreditation in accounting and business from the Association to Advance Collegiate Colleges of Business (AACSB), placing us in the upper echelon of U.S. business schools. We also have a long list of “best-of” honors from U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, CFA Institute, and other organizations.
- High-touch hybrid format. Our interactive hybrid courses enable you to communicate regularly with faculty and build close relationships with peers. You’ll also spend one weekend at the beginning of each term on our campus in downtown Portland, deepening your connections with instructors, fellow tax practitioners, and potential future employers.
Master of Taxation Highlights
- Offered by PSU’s nationally-ranked School of Business
- Ranked among nation’s best hybrid business programs by U.S. News & World Report
- Convenient, flexible hybrid format with one required in-person residency each term
- Unique program schedule synced with accounting recruitment cycles
- Elite dual accreditation in accounting and business from AACSB
The Master of Taxation offers professional development that can be used for a broad range of purposes. People commonly enroll in the program to qualify for job promotions, become better long-range business planners, acquire specialized expertise for a corporate role, offer better services to their clients, or even launch a new enterprise.
Participants come from many fields and professional backgrounds, including:
- Accounting
- Tax consulting
- Corporate finance
- Law
- Investment advising
- Business consulting
- Entrepreneurship
- Philanthropy
- Estate planning
- Government
The Master of Taxation also serves undergraduate accounting majors who are interested in earning their CPA and want to specialize in tax.
Master of Taxation Learning Goals
- Critical Thinking: Graduates of the MT program will be effective business decision-makers who are able to critically analyze an economic, financial, and/or tax issue and develop a clearly supportable position/recommendation on the issue.
- Research Skills: Graduates of the MT program will be able to conduct effective professional tax research.
- Technical Tax Knowledge: Graduates of the MT program will apply the techniques, tools, and strategies useful for performing complex tax planning, analysis, and compliance.
- Business Communication: Graduates of the MT program will effectively communicate complex information with a variety of stakeholders to increase knowledge and achieve objectives.
ACCREDITATION & RANKINGS
Portland State University is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).
One of fewer than 200 business schools worldwide — top 1% — to be accredited in both business and accounting by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). AACSB is the elite business school accreditation known internationally.
Portland State's School of Business is committed to student learning. AACSB accreditation includes assessment of student learning outcomes.
Top Online Business Program, US News & World Report
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