Should You Pursue a Graduate Tax Degree?

For legal, accounting and business professionals who are considering the next step on their tax law career path, a graduate tax degree can open doors and expand their career options. 

At Villanova, the Master of Laws in Taxation (LLM) for lawyers and the Master of Taxation (MT) for accounting and business professionals, are two rigorous graduate tax degree programs that educate students on the legal regulations and accounting principles that affect the ever-changing tax landscape. 

Also, for qualified tax professionals who want to hone and expand their skills in a specific area, certificates in International Tax, Employee Benefits, Estate Planning, and State and Local Tax (SALT), can be completed as stand-alone credentials or in conjunction with the LLM and MT.

When deciding to pursue a graduate tax degree, some key areas to consider include: 

Must Love Tax

First and foremost, tax professionals must love the industry. “If you decide to pursue a graduate tax degree, you have to love tax,” said Stephen Olsen ’07 JD, ’09 LLM, associate professor of practice and faculty director of the Graduate Tax Program. “The content is very technical and it’s continuously evolving, so if you don’t love tax, it will become an overwhelming burden. If you do become a tax practitioner, you will always be a student of tax law. Laws and tax codes are constantly being rewritten. However, that’s also the positive. It’s interesting, complicated and challenging.”

A Leg Up

As the employment market becomes more competitive, it has never been more important to further your education, hone your skills and keep up with the latest trends. Tax professionals who hold an LLM or MT have a competitive advantage over their peers.  

Graduate tax degrees help professionals become highly specialized in niche tax areas, making them indispensable to employers and opening doors to promotions, new positions and higher-paying roles. In fact, according to Glassdoor, tax attorneys in Philadelphia make an average of $178,000 a year. 

“The evolving tax landscape demands increased specialization, and our program allows you to become an expert quickly,” explained Olsen. “It will accelerate you to reach a masterful level within your specialized area of tax, while also providing you with a breadth of knowledge across tax.”

Diversity of Job Opportunities

While seemingly narrow in focus, the demand for expert tax practitioners across all industries has never been higher. Every organization needs tax specialists with advanced knowledge to navigate tax compliance and provide strategy in identifying potential tax savings. From government, to law, accounting, corporate and non-profit organizations, top careers in tax are found in diverse employment settings. 

 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of accounts and auditors is projected to grow by 5% from 2024-2034, and the employment of tax lawyers 

“Master of Taxation career opportunities, and tax attorney positions are plentiful,” said Olsen. “The question isn’t what can you do with a tax degree, it’s what can’t you do with it? With an MT or LLM, employers from varying industries will be vying for your services. The degrees open up a number of job opportunities, and you will have the advantage of selecting which is the right fit and track for you.”

High Job Satisfaction

Compared to other legal professionals, tax lawyers and tax professionals have higher job satisfaction. They are more fulfilled in their careers and report having a better work-life balance with fewer and more consistent hours than other legal and business professionals. 

Flexible Format 

Our Graduate Tax Program supports working professionals with options to complete your tax degree online, in-person, or a hybrid combination of both. Classes are held in the evenings and follow an eight-week schedule, allowing you to focus on one course at a time and pause during the busy tax season or for other life commitments.  

“We understand that there are things in your work and family life that are going to come up,” said Olsen. “The program is very understanding and we'll work with you. We're about making practitioners better practitioners, and we want to set you on the best tax law career path possible, all on your schedule and at your convenience.”

Immersive Learning Environment

Exceptional interdisciplinary faculty who are seasoned tax scholars and expert tax practitioners lead engaging, in-depth and comprehensive examinations of tax principles and policies, creating an unmatched learning experience. 

“We're one of the few programs that has both a very strong LLM and a very strong MT,” said Olsen. “We teach to lawyers, accountants and business professionals, all within the same courses and curriculum. It’s a distinguishing factor of our program. The lawyers can see how accountants approach an issue and vice versa. Everyone learns from and with one another. It’s a lot like real-world practice.”

Rigorous Curriculum

The Graduate Tax curriculum examines taxation from multiple perspectives, allowing students to explore how legal regulations and accounting principles affect the field’s ever-changing landscape. 

“Since 1981, we have been perfecting our teaching of tax, and it’s a very practical program,” said Olsen. “You won’t be taught in an esoteric academic way. You will learn meaningful things from the best practitioners, that you can immediately use in your practice—from technical tax expertise to practical planning and key controversy issues that you can bring to your clients as areas where they could be more aggressive with tax planning and challenging tax authorities.”

The Nova Nation

As soon as you enroll in Graduate Tax courses, you will meet and collaborate with fellow tax professionals, which can open doors to career opportunities. Once you graduate, you become part of the Nova Nation—Villanova's powerful network of more than 140,000 alumni who are leaders across industries.