DePaul Tax and Accounting Programs Rank Among Best in U.S.

DePaul University's graduate tax and accountancy programs are once again ranked among the top 10 in the nation by employers in TaxTalent’s 

DePaul's Master of Science in Taxation (MST) degree program ranked No. 3 and the Master of Accountancy (MACC) placed No. 7. DePaul was the only school from Chicago in both of these top 10 graduate rankings. 

DePaul's undergraduate accountancy program also was recognized for its excellence, placing No. 8 nationally.

What makes TaxTalent's rankings unique are that they are sourced directly from the employer perspective. This year, twice the number of managers of in-house corporate tax departments were polled than previous years to get their expert opinions on national accounting programs. The goal of survey, TaxTalent says, is to bridge the gap between academia and the professional world by aligning the needs and wants of employers with how schools are preparing students for their future careers. DePaul's MACC and MST programs align with TaxTalent’s goal because they bring real-world education into the classroom.

The Master of Science in Taxation (MST) is one of the first degrees of its kind in the United States. DePaul’s program is specifically structured for working professionals to enhance understanding and analysis of complex tax statutes, tax regulations, related cases and rulings, and the Internal Revenue Code.

“I feel the primary advantage of our program is that the faculty are experts in the specific topics they teach,” says Ron Marcuson, director of DePaul’s MST Program. “In this way the student gets much more than ‘book learning,’ they learn what happens in the real world.”

Marcuson gives several other reasons why the MST program at DePaul is unique:

• Diversity of courses. DePaul typically offers around 25 different taxation courses allowing students to best pick courses in their areas of interest.
  
• Online option. Students have the flexibility  to study in the classroom or entirely online.
  
• Real world experience. The MST program is designed for students who are already working in the tax field, so the coursework relates to their job experiences.
  
• Expanded offering. Students can earn their MST degree by only taking tax classes or they may take other business courses to expand their skill set.
  
• Wide-reaching network. DePaul has an extensive network of alumni working in the taxation community.
  

Strong Links to Tax Industry Benefits Students

TaxTalent takes into consideration feedback on what tax employers are looking for in job candidates, as well as which accounting schools are consistently held in high regard by both alumni and those who hire tax professionals.

This was important to Taylor Sweeney, a current DePaul student and graduate assistant for the MST program, who wanted to get into the tax side of business.

“I believe the MST program at DePaul is ranked highly for a number of reasons,” says Sweeney. “The ability to take the program online or at your own pace makes this a unique master’s program. In addition, being located in Chicago affords you with so many networking opportunities with alumni and global taxation companies.”

What made Sweeney ultimately chose DePaul was being able to study different types of taxation and to choose a specialization that interests her. Since earning her  master’s degree and becoming CPA eligible were also important goals for Sweeney, DePaul’s MST program was the right choice for her.

• MST program and MST online program
  
• MACC program
  
• DePaul undergraduate major in accountancy