As one of the oldest and largest programs of its kind in the nation, Denver Law's Graduate Tax Program is a leader in training tax specialists for accounting and legal professions. The Master of Taxation program allows current and aspiring accountants to train side by side with lawyers from our LLM program to gain cross-disciplinary experience on aspects of tax. Our curriculum is nothing but tax, with courses taught using the Internal Revenue Code, treasury regulations, and other related material. The Graduate Tax Program prepares tax professionals for a career in tax.
Students can complete the Master of Taxation program in a way that best fits their life and schedule. All Graduate Tax courses are delivered in an asynchronous online format that allows you to fit the program within your schedule, while also providing opportunities for live interaction with faculty and classmates and in-person events for those who are in the Denver area.
Students have the option to pursue their Master of Taxation as a full-time or part-time student. Full-time students can earn a degree in just one year and part-time students generally finish the degree in 18-24 months. Most working professionals pursue their Master of Taxation as part-time students to successfully balance all of their obligations.
Program Highlights
A highly sophisticated and relevant course of study in taxation grounded in the Internal Revenue Code, treasury regulations, and materials developed especially for our program to enhance your understanding of the complex subject matter.
Outstanding faculty, including professionals from top local and national firms and the IRS.
Complete the entire program online or on-site.
Full-time students can earn a degree in just one year; part-time students can earn a degree in 18-24 months while remaining. Either option is appropriate for working professionals.
Excellent nationwide job placement opportunities through job postings, on-campus recruiting programs, alumni connections, and extensive networking.
“As a CPA, I really enjoyed taking classes with attorneys and other experienced classmates because they always contributed different perspectives to the class, stimulating me to think further.”
Xiaoyi Liu, ‘16
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Master of Taxation students have two degree options. The Graduate Tax Program offers a 24-semester-credit Master of Taxation and a 30-semester-credit extended track Master of Taxation. The 24-credit degree is suitable for most students; however, applicants who are interested in an additional six elective hours to meet credit requirements for CPA certification should apply for the extended 30-credit Master of Taxation track.
All students must successfully complete either 24 or 30 semester credits (depending on the degree path they apply for) and maintain a 2.7 GPA to earn their Master of Taxation. For all Master of Taxation students, 16 credits must come from six (6) required courses: Fundamentals of Taxation (TAX 4001) (4 credits), Corporate Taxation (TAX 4002) (3 credit), Partnership Taxation (TAX 4003) (3 credits), Tax Accounting (TAX 4035) (2 credits), Tax Research and Writing (TAX 4005) (2 credits), and Basic Tax Procedure (TAX 4004) (2 credits). The remaining credits can be earned by completing any elective courses. Please review all of our course offerings here.
Students can take any combination of electives but should note some electives require prerequisites. These electives are part of informal paths. You can find prerequisite information here.
Corporate Path: Corporate Taxation (TAX 4003), Taxation of Corporate Reorgs and Divisions (TAX 4065), and S Corps (TAX 4015)
Estate Planning Path: Estate and Gift Taxation (TAX 4025), Estate Planning (TAX 4225), and Fiduciary Income Taxation (TAX 4125)
The Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) is one of largest and well-established tax clinics in the country. The clinic is highly regarded in the community and is the preferred referral source for the U.S. Tax Court in Denver.
The LITC represents low-income taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service in audit, appeals, collections and Tax Court litigation. Students participating in the clinic gain valuable experience handling client matters, researching individual income tax issues and working directly with the Internal Revenue Service and Colorado Department of Revenue. Our clinic represents nearly 250 clients annually. The United States Tax Court comes to Denver approximately four times each year. While the Tax Court is in town, students have an opportunity to attend a calendar call and trials, interact with IRS Office of Chief Counsel attorneys and Tax Court judges, and advise pro se taxpayers about the Tax Court process and their rights.
Additionally, the LITC hosts and participates in a variety of outreach presentations and events with taxpayers and community organizations throughout the year.
All Sturm College of Law students can participate in the LITC for credit or as a volunteer. Please contact Professor Sabrina Strand (Director of the LITC) for additional information.
Applicants interested in a limited amount of courses, and are not interested in pursuing a full degree, should reach out to Ryan Dessler, Director of Academic Initiatives and Advising, for more information to discuss options available for Special Status Students.
The Graduate Tax Program has been a leader in the education of tax professionals for over 40 years. The demand for our graduates continues to increase, and our curriculum combines both the law and accounting aspects of tax practice, giving our graduates the ability to provide thoughtful, practical advice to their clients.
Message from the Program
The educational standards of the Graduate Tax Program are rigorous, but our students and graduates consistently comment on how they are the most prepared and knowledgeable of their colleagues. The environment, however, is one of cooperation rather than competition, and the teaching attitude is both helpful and challenging. The Program is dedicated to the pursuit of superior professional competence, and students with similar aspirations find their studies in the Graduate Tax Program entirely rewarding. An added bonus for our students is that we create high-quality video recordings of all of our classes. All students have access to the recordings for the classes they are enrolled in. This is particularly helpful if you miss a class or just want to review the lecture again. If you have an employment offer outside of the Denver area, it is easy to switch to online student status to complete your degree.
Career & Employment Support
Postgraduate employment is a vital concern of both students and faculty. Because the Graduate Tax Program is the only program of its kind in the Rocky Mountain Region, and has an excellent national reputation, it is well situated to offer its students a variety of job opportunities in this region, as well as across the U.S.
