Tax Certificate or Master’s Degree in Tax—Which is Right for You?

For tax professionals who want to advance their tax careers, a postgraduate tax education program can add a significant credential to your resume and potentially place you on a new career trajectory.

With a myriad of in-person and online tax program options, potential students are often faced with choosing between two common, but different, programs—a master’s degree in tax, or a tax certificate program. But which is right for you? Should you pursue a full master’s degree in tax—either the LLM in Taxation for lawyers, or the Master of Taxation (MT) for accountants, financial advisors and tax professionals? Or is a certificate program in a specialized area of tax best aligned for you to reach your goals?

Making the decision to continue your education in tax is an important and exciting step in your career, and when deciding between a master’s in taxation vs a tax certificate, it is important to weigh your options. Both a tax certificate and a master’s in tax will enhance your expertise and positively impact your career, but understanding the key differences will allow you to make the best decision.

First, there are two master’s degree options in taxation—the Master of Laws in Taxation (LLM) and the Master of Taxation (MT). The LLM is an advanced degree for lawyers who have a JD, and the MT is the advanced tax degree program for accounting and business professionals, including financial advisors.

The LLM and the MT are great options for tax professionals who are committed to tax, want to distinguish themselves in the field and don’t already have a master’s degree. Through the LLM and MT degree programs, students examine taxation from multiple perspectives, allowing exploration of how both legal and accounting principles affect the field’s ever-changing landscape. Master’s students are fully prepared to advance their tax career, as well as successfully meet today’s challenges of the complex tax environment. 

“Both the LLM and the MT provide a broad and comprehensive education on tax,” said Stephen Olsen ’07 JD, ’09 LLM, associate professor of practice and faculty director of Villanova University’s Graduate Tax Program. “As a tax law master’s student, you will be exposed to all areas of tax. The degree will provide invaluable training that will positively impact every aspect of your career.”

Villanova's LLM 

• Villanova’s LLM is a flexible, interdisciplinary degree that prepares you to become a competent and nimble tax attorney who can successfully advise your clients and organizations. 

• The LLM is a rigorous and immersive 24-credit degree that can be completed part-time in less than two years. 

• LLM students are required to take six core courses that teach the fundamentals of tax and choose three electives from over 25 comprehensive options spanning many areas of interest in both law and accounting, including tax policy, Federal tax law, corporate tax and ethics.

• Students can also pursue specialty tax certificates together with the LLM degree. 

• Courses are available on campus, online or in a hybrid format. Both on-campus and online classes are held in the evening, and online courses are synchronous and live each week. 

• All courses are designed for part-time adult learners and follow a unique eight-week format, allowing you to concentrate on one course at a time. 

Villanova's MT

• The Villanova MT emphasizes real-world education and professional responsibility in tax practice through a rigorous and immersive curriculum taught by leading tax scholars and expert practitioners. 

• The MT is a 30-credit degree program that can be completed part-time in as little as two years.

• MT students are required to take six core taxation courses that teach the fundamentals of tax, as well as choose six electives from over 25 comprehensive options spanning many areas of interest in both law and accounting, including tax policy, Federal tax law, corporate tax and ethics.

• Like the LLM, MT students can also pursue a specialty tax certificate in conjunction with the MT.

• Courses are available on campus, online or in a hybrid format. Both on-campus and online classes are held in the evening, and online courses are synchronous and live each week. 

• All courses are designed for part-time adult learners and follow a unique eight-week format, allowing you to concentrate on one course at a time. 

A graduate tax certificate is a shorter and less comprehensive credential than the full master’s degree. Graduate tax certificates focus on a specialized tax topic, and do not provide the same broad tax overview as the master’s in tax degrees. A certificate can be completed as a stand-alone credit-bearing program, or in conjunction with the master’s degree. 

“A tax certificate is a great option for someone who has a more restricted practice and only works within one specific area,” said Olsen. “If you don’t need a broad base of tax knowledge, a certificate might be right for you.”

Graduate tax certificates might also appeal to lawyers and business professionals who already have a master’s degree in a different area, or who are very established in their career and have decades of experience in tax. “Seasoned pros might not need the master’s credential to learn the basics or get to the next level, but they might want to learn more about a specific area, so for them, the certificate is the right answer,” Olsen explained.

For professionals who are not certain that they want to devote their entire practice to tax, the certificate can be a jumping point to start learning about tax and gaining expertise in a particular area. If they decide to continue with the full master’s degree, certificate credits can be transferred into the master’s degree program.  

Villanova's Graduate Tax Certificate Programs

• For qualified tax professionals who want to hone and expand their skills in a specific area, Villanova offers four comprehensive and specialized in-person and online tax certificate programs:    
  • Estate Planning Certificate 
  • Employee Benefits Certificate 
  • State and Local Taxation Certificate (SALT) 
  • International Tax Certificate 

• The certificate is a 10-credit program that can be completed part-time in one academic year. 

• Certificate courses are available in-person or online, either in conjunction with the LLM or MT degree, or as a stand-alone certificate program.  

• The certificates follow a flexible schedule and are designed for working professionals, including both lawyers and non-lawyers.