[taxgeek83]

I’m thinking about getting my Masters in Taxation at some point after getting my CPA license, but am curious to see what you all think. I’ve looked a little into Northeastern, which has a 100% online option. Other than that, I think I’d have to move, which I’m not in a place to do right now (especially if it’s just for school). Has anyone out there gone for their masters (tax in particular) and found it to be worth it, or thought about going that route and not found it to be worth it for whatever reason? Any and all opinions/feedback welcome. Thanks in advance!

[mla1169]

I think SNHU has an online masters in tax as well.

FAR- 77
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BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Study Monk]

taxgeek83

I'm fairly certain I will be beginning a MST program in May. I have found a lot of posts on this topic from various sources and, unlike the MSA, the MST appears to be valuable to employers. I am personally considering going into business for myself way down the road, and a MST paired with a CPA license should help with marketing. I don't think the MST would be necessary if you already have been working successfully in tax and you are not planning to be a partner or entrepreneur. It appears that a tax accountant will make good money with or without a MST if they put in their time.

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[taxgeek83]

@mla – Thanks! I want to say Golden Gate has an online program as well, but I can't remember if it's full-time online, or if it's part online and part classroom work.

@studymonk – I'm working in tax right now and would like to stay in the field (screen name says a lot!). I don't think I necessarily need a masters to get a different position where I'm at, though aside from the tuition, it couldn't hurt. I guess if I got it anytime soon, it'd be more for my own satisfaction than anything else – I get bored easily when I don't have anything I'm working toward. I just wasn't sure if it would be helpful in a larger market if I decided to move at some point in the future. I know a lot of the larger job markets are far more competitive than where I'm at! What school are you getting your masters from (if you don't mind my asking!)?

Thanks again for the feedback!

[Study Monk]

I'm going to do Golden Gate. I live near San Francisco, so I am planning to take on campus classes and try to network. They also have good recruiting in my area. I am not currently working in tax, so my intention is to take classes to get access to their recruiting resources and build my tax knowledge after studying for REG.

I am hoping to get a full time job next tax season. Since it will likely take me three years to complete the program, once I become a part-time student, I am also playing with the idea of my last 4 classes being financial planning classes and ending up with GGU's Master of Science Financial Planning and Taxation degree. CFP is in my future as well;)

Sorry for all the detail but i have been doing a lot of research lately and I am truly excited.

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[subie_rex]

I got my masters in tax. I strongly encourage it. I got such a deep understanding of the theory in tax law that helps me very day at work. Do it.

BEC-86 (07/07/12)
FAR-87(08/25/12)
AUD-93(10/08/12)
REG-87(11/17/12)

[jdwalton19]

Not trying to hijack the post, but for those of you that are familiar with GGU, are they well respected outside of the west coast? I have been thinking about enrolling in their online MST program as they offer a 40% tuition discount if you are a local, state, or federal government employee.

FAR - MAY - 84
AUD - AUG - 88
REG - AUG - 92
BEC - Dec - 82

KY Licensed!

Yaeger

[JustWant 75]

@studymonk what are the requirements for admissions? I'm probably going to apply to GGU for fall but not sure if they need GMAT scores?

Becker, Ninja Audio + Notes

FAR: 80 (Aug 2013)
AUD: 91 (Nov 2013)
BEC: 79 (Feb 2014)
REG: 80 (May 2014)

[taxgeek83]

@studymonk – No worries!! You sound ambitious and motivated – hope it all works out! I'm in a semi-rural area – definitely rural by Bay Area standards, and am pretty much stuck doing everything online unless I decide to move. 🙂 Law school would be awesome with the ultimate goal of an LLM in tax, but it's definitely a pipedream and, from what I've heard, not worth the cost. Thus the MST route. 🙂

@subie – Thanks for the feedback!! Glad to know it is worth it!

@jd – Not hijacking at all. I'm curious too, though I've heard a lot of good things about Golden Gate. Do you know if that discount applies only to San Francisco folks, or are government employees around the country eligible?

@just – I want to say no GMAT required, but that might have been Denver. I can't remember….

[Study Monk]

@ JustWant 75 No GMAT and a bachelors. When I was looking into their MSA program they made it look like having under a 3.0 gpa is not a problem. I have a 2.95 gpa 🙁

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The master of science degree in taxation requires completion of 30 semester units. Please refer to p. 123 for the Required Academic Progress and Grade Requirements for Graduation for Graduate Students.

All applicants should have earned an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution with at least a 3.00 grade-point average (GPA). Individuals with an undergraduate GPA below 3.00 are welcome to apply and will be considered for admission based on employment history, professional accomplishments, recommendations, etc. Certificate and open enrollment students must meet the same standards and prerequisites that apply to degree candidates.

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[JustWant 75]

@studymonk you are better off than i am. I have a 2.4 🙁 Wish i would have taken my undergrad more seriously. I do see that they don't require you to take the GMAT but i saw somewhere where it says that you may have to if GPA is under 3.0. I've been trying to contact admissions but no call back yet :/

Becker, Ninja Audio + Notes

FAR: 80 (Aug 2013)
AUD: 91 (Nov 2013)
BEC: 79 (Feb 2014)
REG: 80 (May 2014)

[Study Monk]

@ JustWant 75 Admissions will be impressed that you passed 3 sections of the CPA exam. You might not be able to get into their cohort program, but I have a feeling you won't have a problem enrolling as a normal tax student either part-time or full-time.

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[JustWant 75]

@study monk are you planning to join the cohort program? I want to try but i don't know if i want to quit my job (even though my job isn't aligned to my goals) and go to school full time plus who knows if they will accept me :/ I don't know if it's possible to build your network with part time classes.

Becker, Ninja Audio + Notes

FAR: 80 (Aug 2013)
AUD: 91 (Nov 2013)
BEC: 79 (Feb 2014)
REG: 80 (May 2014)

[Study Monk]

JustWant 75

No the cohort plan doesn't start until August, so I will be avoiding it. I will be enrolling in the two core tax classes in the “May to August” semester while I finish up BEC. I will then take a few classes in the “August to December” semester while I look for tax jobs. All of the tax classes are evening classes so you should be able to network. If I were you I would keep your job and do part-time. I think you should be able to find a tax accounting job with your CPA and a commitment to get your MST part-time.

I spoke to an ancient wise man who sent me on a mushroom induced journey through an ancient forest to find the key to passing the CPA exam. A talking spider monkey told me to throw the last of my drinking water in the dirt to find what I was looking for. So I followed his instructions and the following message appeared in the soil:

"Do 5000 multiple choice questions for each section"

[jdwalton19]

@taxgeek83 – According to the admissions counselor that I spoke with, the 40% discount is available to any local, state, or federal government employee, regardless of locality.

FAR - MAY - 84
AUD - AUG - 88
REG - AUG - 92
BEC - Dec - 82

KY Licensed!

Yaeger

[Anonymous]

Im surprised SJSU hasn't been brought up. Have you'll considered that as an option? One plus, i think for both sjsu and GGU is that if have the cpa exams passed you dont need the gmat. Also, SJSU is cheaper and they have open university which allows you to take a class without being accepted into the program (good if you really don't know if you want to commit to the entire program). I'm doing that for now with the MST program there.

[Author]

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