BU Law Launches Master in the Study of Tax Law
New master’s opens Graduate Tax Program to nonlegal professionals.
Boston University School of Law is pleased to announce the launch of its Master in the Study of Tax Law (MSL). Offered through the school’s renowned Graduate Tax Program, the master’s is a 24-credit program designed to provide foundational tax law training to aspiring and current accountants, auditors, and other business professionals. The program will enroll its inaugural class in the fall 2019 semester.
“As technology increasingly automates many of the basic functions previously performed by entry-level accountants, we are seeing tax employers push their junior associates to take on more consulting functions earlier in their careers”, says Christina Rice, program director. “This means that junior tax accounting professionals need more training in legal research and writing to succeed in today’s tax practice and we think our program is in the best position to meet that growing need.”
The program targets business professionals who seek fundamental exposure to tax law, as well as recent graduates of undergraduate accounting programs: the 24-credit masters can help them satisfy the 150 credit hours required for CPA licensure. BU Law’s new program will be the only program offered by a top-ranked law school that is open to students who do not have multiple years of work experience.
MSL candidates will have access to the Graduate Tax Program’s comprehensive tax law curricula. They will also receive training in legal research and writing and in core legal analytical and problem-solving skills.
The program’s focus on substantive law and the development of legal skills sets it apart from the myriad masters in taxation programs offered by business schools.
“We believe the new program will be very attractive to nonlegal tax professionals who want to distinguish themselves in the market,” says John Riccardi, BU Law’s assistant dean for graduate & international programs. “As tax compliance work is becoming increasingly automated, accountancy firms will look to develop their higher-level advisory services. Someone who understands and can help navigate the legal dimensions of tax issues will be well positioned for advisory work, particularly if the training comes from BU Law, long regarded as one of the nation’s top schools for tax law.”
BU Law is ranked #8 in the nation for tax law studies, according to US News and World Report (2018), the highest ranked Boston-area law school.
Students will have access to the same professional development resources available to the school’s Graduate Tax Program students, which include on-campus recruitment and interviews, a dedicated career counseling staff, and off-campus recruitment events. As with the Graduate Tax Program, the MSL program will be available on a full- and part-time basis, both residentially in Boston as well as entirely online.
Additional Information
The program will enroll students in the spring, summer, and fall semesters. Application details are found here. Additional information is available on the BU Law website. ABA acquiescence is pending.
About the Graduate Tax Program
The Graduate Tax Program, one of the nation’s oldest and most highly regarded graduate programs in law, was established in 1959, and confers the highly valued LLM in Taxation credential, which signals rigorous training and superior preparation to employers. In 2013, the program launched its online option, enabling lawyers outside of the Boston area to earn their LLM in Taxation. In 2016, the program launched the Estate Planning Certificate, which enables wealth management professionals without a legal background to access the renowned estate planning curriculum.
Led by director Christina Rice (JD’07, LLM’13), the Graduate Tax Program boasts one of the nation’s strongest job placement rates of any graduate legal program, with an average 88 percent employment rate seven months following graduation for the 2015–17 classes.
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