Program Overview

The MS and MS-TP in Taxation

Overview

The one-year M.S. in Taxation (MST) and M.S. in Tax Practice (MS-TP) programs are designed to educate students in the methodology of tax research and to help students develop the ability to analyze and interpret tax law, regulations, cases and related material. Both programs are designed to meet the growing need and demand for tax advisors, consultants, and executives to deal with complex tax considerations involved in virtually every business and financial transaction

Both the MST and MS-TP programs attract students from a variety of backgrounds including CPAs, attorneys, financial advisors, government agents, private industry professionals, and recent college graduates. This challenging program offers courses in state and interstate taxation, corporate taxation, partnership taxation, and estate and gift taxation. The School of Business , in collaboration with Albany Law School , offers students the option of taking a tax law course each semester at Albany Law School to satisfy part of the MST and MS-TP requirements. Recruiters and alumni strongly feel that this exposure to Albany Law School is unique and sets our students apart from students in other tax programs.

The tax program is reviewed by an advisory council composed of experts in the field of taxation including representatives from international accounting firms, industry and the Internal Revenue Service.

Admission

Admission to the MST program requires an undergraduate degree in accounting or a degree in business with an accounting concentration. Candidates holding an MBA with a concentration in accounting will also be considered. Students without an accounting degree, or who do not otherwise qualify for enrollment in the MST program, may qualify for enrollment in the MS-TP program. The University at Albany School of Business accepts both full-time and part-time students in the MST and MS-TP programs.

The University at Albany 's MST and MS-TP programs offer the following benefits:

• Small classes
• Individual attention from faculty
• Opportunities to interact with visiting professionals and lecturers
• Placement assistance
• Graduate assistantships with stipend and partial or full waiver of tuition
• Use of computerized tax research databases

Our students are highly sought after by employers including the largest international consulting & accounting firms. Among the organizations that have recently hired our graduates are Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Ayco. Not only have our alumni achieved success in public accounting, many have gone on to become leaders in the community and in the world of business.

 The Curriculum

A typical program for a student accepted into full time or part time graduate study in either the MST or MS-TP program requires the completion of 30 credits. Most full time students complete the course work in one-year, while others study part-time and complete the program in two or more years. The required courses necessary to complete either program include the following:

 

Graduate Accounting Courses

Course #	Course Description	Credits
Acc 631	Principles of Tax Research	3
ACC 633	Corp Taxation	3
ACC 642	Taxation of Partnerships	3
ACC 694	Seminar in Taxation & Financial Planning	3
	2 Tax Electives	6
	2 Accounting Electives	6
	Total Graduate Accounting Credits	24

 

Graduate General Business Courses

	2 General Business Electives	6
	Total General Business Credits	6

 

Total Program Credits

30

 

Accreditation

The MS-Tax program is registered with the Division of Professional Education of the State Education Department of New York and meets the 150- semester credit hour education requirement. In addition, our program is accredited by the AACSB, as are all of our Accounting Programs. Very few accounting programs across the country have gained this distinction.

 

Testimonials from Alumni

"As a student in the MS in Taxation program at UAlbany I developed the expertise necessary to ascertain research and articulate the resolution of complex tax issues. The Lecturers are amongst the finest and most distinguished practitioners and attorneys in Up-State New York . The ability of the instructors to support lectures with their personal experiences reinforces the relevance of the various topics covered. The program has definitely accelerated the progression of my career in the tax department of the largest financial services firm in the U.S. " James Kromer (MS 2000, PWC).

 

"I am a certified public accountant and a certified valuation analyst. Nevertheless, in order to strengthen my foundation as a financial advisor, I pursued an MS in Taxation from the University of Albany . Graduating from SUNY's program helped me attain my objectives. Primarily, it was a pleasure to be instructed by practitioner/professors and interact in a challenging environment. Overall, the MST designation has proven to be very valuable for me." Donald J. Marr (MS 2002, CPA, CVA; Business Valuation & dvisory Services, LLC; Principal Owner, Valuassociates).

updated 12-20-05