Gonzaga's Master of Science in Taxation is a 30-credit, highly ranked program you can complete in two semesters in Spokane, Washington. It's built for accounting graduates who want to specialize in tax. You'll go deep into the rules that drive business and individual tax planning and graduate ready for tax roles at public accounting firms and corporations. Our graduates consistently pass the CPA exam the first time at one of the highest rates among schools in the Northwest.
Our promise: you'll be the most technical in tax among your peers wherever you launch your career.
What You'll Study
Taxation of Corporations
Partnership Taxation
Wealth Transfer Taxation
Taxation of Property Transactions
State and Local Taxation
International Taxation
All courses place an emphasis on skills that firms look for in new tax professionals, including issue identification, problem solving, and tax planning.
Where Tax Graduates Work
MS Taxation graduates work at firms including Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG, RSM, Baker Tilly, BDO, Grant Thornton, and Eide Bailly, as well as companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Alaska Air, Starbucks, Zillow, Costco, Gates Foundation, and Nike. Alumna Sasha Ducey credits Gonzaga's network with helping her land her tax consulting role at Deloitte. Warren Wandell turned Gonzaga connections into a career as a U.S. business tax analyst abroad. Chase Ronderos and Sam Crosby earned the prestigious Elijah Watt Sells award from the AICPA for exceptional performance on the CPA exam.
Accelerated and Dual Degree Options
Gonzaga and Whitworth accounting undergraduates can begin the MS Taxation during their senior year through the Accelerated MS Taxation program. Students interested in tax law can earn the MS Taxation and a Juris Doctor together through our dual degree with the Gonzaga School of Law.
The MAcc builds broad expertise across audit, financial reporting, and accounting theory. The MS Taxation focuses on tax. Both take two semesters, so the choice comes down to whether you see your career in tax.
It can. Graduate tax credits count toward accounting credits in all jurisdictions. While a master's degree is not required to become a CPA and you can meet the education requirements for licensure without one, a master's still may be a good idea. Tax is one of the broadest and most technical areas of accounting and undergraduate accounting programs often do not have room to cover all the pertinent topics.
The MS Taxation gives you the depth that undergraduate coursework can't. In two semesters you'll build technical expertise across the full range of tax topics and develop the research and planning skills firms expect from their tax professionals.
Full time students finish the 30-credit program in two semesters. A part time option is also available, and part time students have up to five years to complete the degree.
Yes. If your undergraduate degree isn't in accounting or business, you may need to complete some prerequisite coursework first so you have the background to succeed. Students also may need additional business credits to be CPA exam eligible.
Graduates work as tax consultants, tax analysts, and tax associates at public accounting firms, corporations, non-profits, and government agencies. In most years, MS Taxation graduates have been employed at a rate of 100% within three months of graduation.
Tuition for 2026 to 2027 is $1,200 per credit, or $36,000 for the full 30-credit program. Graduate students can receive up to $20,500 in federal loans each year, and some employers offer tuition reimbursement. Available scholarships are considered for all applicants.
Yes. Each application is reviewed for scholarships and upon acceptance, admitted students receive a scholarship offer.
Yes. Gonzaga accounting majors can begin the program in their senior year and take up to 9 graduate credits billed at undergraduate tuition rates, saving up to $10,800 in our Accelerated MS Taxation program. Whitworth students can take up to 6 credits, saving more than $7,200. Contact your academic advisor or graduate admissions specialist at gradadmissions@gonzaga.edu for details.
Yes. Students interested in tax law can earn a Juris Doctor and the MS Taxation together through a dual degree with the Gonzaga School of Law.
As the MS.Tax Student of the Year, Sam was recognized for overall academic excellence as a graduate student. Sam passed all four sections of the CPA within four months while attending school full-time and working two jobs.
